Mike Emmott, former Employee Relations Adviser at CIPD, shares his thoughts on how employment relations has been shaped by the experience of the pandemic. Despite the obvious struggles and pain the pandemic has brought for millions, he observes signs of a more positive long-term impact on employment relations, as the lessons of the past 12 months may lead to more freedom, more influence and more rights for the workforce in future. Read more
As the UK continues its gradual emergence from the pandemic, Professor Katie Bailey poses five key questions for us to consider about the future of work after the pandemic and what the 'new normal' will look like. Read more
10 years after the publication of Engaging for Success, John Oliver OBE, former CEO of Leyland Trucks, reflects on the progress that has been made and key lessons learned over the last decade, as well as what more firms need to do in order to embrace the positive lessons of engagement. Read more
Dr Duncan Brown, a member of the IPA's Executive Committee, writes about the need for a focus on better pay and reward strategies as part of our rebuilding post-COVID, in a preview of his longer paper on the subject which will be published next month. Read more
Former Head of Staff Engagement and Innovation for UNISON, now running her own coaching and facilitation practice, Katherine Bassey, explores the potential for trade unions to exploit their innate talent for mentoring. Read more
David Coats discusses in this article the prospects of a just transition to net zero in the UK. Comparing our achievements so far with the more rapid progress being made in some other European countries, he questions whether the UK currently has the right institutions, leadership and mechanisms for workforce voice to really achieve a just transition. Read more
Thomas Player, partner at Eversheds Sutherland specialising in employment law, provides us with an update on key legal developments over the past 12 months. In particular employers need to be aware of the potential legal minefield posed by the job retention scheme and COVID related health-and-safety claims. Read more
IPA's Derek Luckhurst reflects on the recent increase in employee burnout during the pandemic. With large numbers of employees working remotely, managers need to be alert for signs of possible burnout and aware of potential solutions to combat it. Read more
Looking ahead, the mass return to physical workplaces poses many challenges for employers. IPA's Patrick Brione looks at what firms need to bear in mind and how they should approach this, in close consultation with their workforces. Read more
Dr Aaron Gain writes about his research about the concept of psychological ownership in a health and social care setting. He argues that ‘Building Back Better’ requires us to understand ‘ownership’ at work in more complex ways and better recognise its links to authentic participation. Read more
An extraordinary study published in People Management has revealed that a quarter of firms in the UK aren't aware of their legal obligations when it comes to redundancy consultations. IPA's Derek Luckhurst explores this problem and what it means for workers and employers at this difficult economic moment. Read more
The impact of COVID-19 on the job markets has affected people of all demographics, but the economic and psychological impacts on young people in particular are often overlooked. Yasmine Modeste, a recent graduate from the University of Kent, offers her perspective as a recent entrant to the job market on how this year has affected people like her. Read more
With evidence emerging showing the disproportionate economic impact of the COVID-crisis on women, Dr Duncan Brown takes an in-depth look at where gender equality at work stands in the UK. The gender pay gap remains stubbornly persistent and women have been suffering greatly from the loss of part time jobs because of the pandemic, but despite this Dr Brown remains optimistic that the current crisis also contains the seeds of opportunities to advance gender equality in the years ahead. Read more
IPA Director Nita Clarke asks how the government's commitment to 'build back better' can be applied to the workforce to ensure there are good jobs for the future. She highlights the importance of job quality alongside job quantity and a need to tackle insecure, low paid and low skilled work in the UK. Read more
Watch the webinar held to mark the launch of the IPA and FES report on the legacy of COVID-19 for working practices and employment relations. Hosted by IPA Director Nita Clarke and includes presentations from the report's author Patrick Brione and special guests Peter Cheese, Chief Executive of CIPD, Daniela Kolbe, member of the Bundestag Committee for Labour and Social Affairs, and Dr Aline Zucco of the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) in Germany. Read more
Another former IPA Director, Willy Coupar, offers his thoughts on what the IPA stands for in a post-COVID economy. With the economic climate looking darker than it has for a long time, he focuses in on three key areas where the IPA has played a role in the past and is needed again today - promoting partnership working, enhancing the quality of work and pushing for stronger legal protections in the workplace. Read more
IPA's Derek Luckhurst reflects on his previous career as a trade union representative in this article, looking at how the trade union movement has fared over recent years and how it needs to adapt to meet the challenges of the present and future, in particular around the benefits of working positively in partnership with management. Read more
Bryan Stevens, Director of the IPA in the 1990s, sets out his reflections on how the world of work has changed over the two decades since his retirement. He looks at how the IPA's purpose remains relevant today compared with the 1990s, how it may be shaped by the current COVID crisis and what role the IPA can play into the future. Read more
Dr Duncan Brown writes about the revelations of poor employment practices in the Leicester garment industry, which are thought to have contributed to the spread of coronavirus in the city, and what lessons we can learn from this episode. He points to the importance of protections for casual workers and the need to continue to push the Good Work agenda started by Matthew Taylor forwards rather than see a return to the pre-COVID orthodoxy. Read more
Jasmine Gartner discusses the problem that confirmation bias can pose for both managers and reps during workforce consultation, if both sides go into a consultation with preconceived assumptions about the beliefs and intentions of the other side. She points out the importance of ensuring the focus of consultation remains on the strategic narrative and the use of key questions to ask during consultation in order to challenge these biases. Read more
IPA's Lorraine Modeste examines the response of major UK organisations to the Black Lives Matter movement and the attention it has brought to racial unfairness in the UK and abroad. She makes clear that organisations wanting to demonstrate they are on the right side of these issues need to reflect seriously on their own efforts to improve racial inequalities in recruitment, retention and representation of staff at all levels and, crucially, sustaining these efforts over the long term. Read more
IPA's Patrick Brione speaks to Derek Luckhurst about employers' approaches to the safe return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with possible redundancies and how to maintain employee engagement with a remote workforce. Watch the full interview. Read more
With many employers grappling over return to work issues as the economy slowly reopens, Sheena Thomson, Founder and Director of Conduit Associates, lays out her thoughts on how to keep your organisation afloat and guide it back to calmer waters. She points on the key role of engaging with union representatives, understanding anxieties and creating a strategic narrative about the return to work that is rooted in both evidence and empathy. Read more
To address part of the challenges organisations are currently facing, IPA's Derek Luckhurst looks at the difficulty that employee representatives have when the people they represent are all working remotely. Laying out the importance of clear policies, regular contact and clear two-way communication, Derek provides some helpful guidance for employee reps to consider how best to approach these difficult times. Read more