It is almost impossible to say with confidence at this stage where the UK will be come 31st October. Nevertheless many in the UK workforce and business community will be understandably extremely concerned about the very significant possibility of crashing out of the EU with no deal in just a few weeks' time. With that in mind the IPA have put together a special Brexit preparedness bulletin below with information and guidance news relating to Brexit, the workforce and EU employment rights. Read more
A summary of this month's employment news. Read more
IPA's Derek Luckhurst continues his line of 'is there really a problem with...' articles with a look at that archetypal workplace problem - the middle manager. Often maligned, trapped between the demands of the frontline and the expectations of senior executives, he argues middle managers are often undervalued and under-equipped for what are actually vital roles. Read more
To mark the release of the IPA's new report on working time and a four-day week, the report's author Patrick Brione discusses the prospects of a four-day week becoming a reality for workers in the UK over the coming years. Read more
Lindsay Uittenbogaard of Mirror Mirror outlines her concept of 'The Fog'; an unseen gap between different workers' perspectives that needs bridging if they are to reach a common understanding and work together to achieve change. Read more
In light of a recent article in The Atlantic criticizing HR over their handling of sexual harassment claims, IPA's Derek Luckhurst looks at the problems that UK HR functions have in being a trusted and effective arbiter of workplace harassment allegations. He suggests that a separation of the investigation / arbitration function of HR from the support and guidance function that could be provided by other trained designated colleagues would be a better approach. Read more
In this article Chris Rees, Professor of Employment Relations at RHUL, lays out the increasingly prominent debate about the role of worker directors in corporate governance reform. Spurred by the FRC Code changes last year, more companies are starting to look seriously at this option, while in the political and policy arena the idea of worker directors as a tool to combat systemic governance problems is looking increasingly attractive. Read more
Philip Sack, who led the team that wrote the Information & Consultation of Employees Regulations back in 2005, shares his thoughts on the new changes to the ICE Regulations and what employers need to do better in order to make ICE forums a success. Read more
To mark the publication of a joint discussion paper with Acas on the winners and losers of technology, IPA's Head of Policy & Research Patrick Brione writes about the major impacts that technology will have on the workforce. From those left behind to those likely to win big, he runs through the opportunities, pitfalls and threats that technology and AI could pose. Read more
In a week when cross-party negotiations on Brexit show signs of breaking down over accusations of bad faith, IPA's Derek Luckhurst takes a look at the process of negotiation, what it means to negotiate in good faith and how employers and employees can best approach negotiations constructively so that all sides can best achieve their aims. Read more
IPA's Derek Luckhurst responds to an article positing a rise in workplace insubordination. Has a flattening of workplace hierarchies and turning managers into coaches really led to a growth of dissent? And is this something to be concerned about, or to welcome? Read more
IPA's Head of Policy & Research, Patrick Brione, outlines a vision of a progressive industrial strategy, to address the economic malaise and sense of being 'left behind' that has been identified as one of the prime causes of Brexit. With new technologies, changing workplace organisation and stagnating wages, he argues, there is lots of work to be done. Read more
In this article Dr Ruth Yeoman discusses the new Oxford Handbook of Meaningful Work and the increased attention being paid to the importance of meaning and purpose in the workplace. She talks about the definition and value of meaningfulness at work and how we can all work to bring it about. Read more
IPA's Training and Development Director, Derek Luckhurst, discusses the upcoming reduction in the ICE threshold needed for a request to set up consultation arrangements. From his experience in supporting employee voice, he makes clear that in order for such arrangements to be successful, they need to properly represent the views of all employees - not just the minority who are disengaged. Read more
Increasing attention is being given to better management as part of the solution to Britain’s productivity puzzle, but there still remains a danger of insufficient attention being paid to the human factor. To address this, Professor Stephen Wood in this article discusses the launch of his new IPA Report on the concept of high-involvement design - an approach that combines role-involvement with more strategic organisational-involvement at the heart of Human Resource Management (HRM). Read more
Kate Dearden of the union Community outlines the big changes that are happening to the workforce in the UK with the growth of self-employment at the gig economy. These shifts pose a major challenge to traditional trade union models of workforce representation, but ultimately, workers in these new sectors still need collective support as much as ever. As she lays out, trade unions will need to adapt themselves to these new practices in order to continue to fulfil their purpose in the years ahead Read more
Patrick Brione, IPA's Head of Policy & Research, discusses the new FRC code coming into force on 1st January 2019. In particular, the change in rules around employee voice at board level, along with changes to I&C regulations announced by the government, offer a major opportunity to improve corporate governance arrangements across the UK - an opportunity which Patrick argues should not be squandered. Read more