Employment advisers struggle with work mistreatment cases
A new study by the Trade Union Confederation has revealed that employment advisers are overwhelmed by cases of work mistreatment. Researchers interviewed employment advisers from Citizens Advice and the Law Centres Federation across the UK. Most of advisors said that they receive reports of unfair dismissal, problems with pay, working time and rights weekly or more frequently. The research shows that a large number of problems are experienced by workers in private care, catering, beauty, cleaning and wholesale and retail companies.
Contact
Trade Union Confederation
020 7467 1337 www.tuc.org.uk
New report encourages women to run social enterprises
The Government Equalities Office has published a report entitled “Social Enterprise: Making it Work for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Women”. The report identifies new ways to encourage and support women in the development of social businesses. Women from ethnic minorities are underrepresented as social entrepreneurs in the UK. The main barriers include a lack of business and funding knowledge and a low awareness of social enterprise. The women are also limited by time and their family obligations. The report highlights examples of women who have overcome those problems such as Claudine Reid, who runs PJ’s Community Services Ltd. She has been appointed a Social Enterprise Ambassador.
Employers should help employees ditch unhealthy eating habits
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and Business in the Community have developed a “Healthy Eating Toolkit”, which provides guidance for employers who are looking to boost productivity by promoting healthy eating habits in their workplaces. Research has shown that most office workers spend less than 20 minutes at lunch and that 90% of people usually eat their meals at their workstations. “There is a clear business case for employers to invest in the health and wellbeing of their staff. Even relatively simple interventions incurring minimal cost can have a significant impact,” said Julian Hunt, FDF’s Communications Director. The Healthy Eating Toolkit was developed by ARAMARK, BITC, Cadbury, Danone, FDF, Kellogg, Tate & Lyle, Towers Perrin and Unilever.
Contact
Food and Drink Federation
020 7420 7131 www.fdf.org.uk
BT helps flexible workers avoid health problems BT has launched a practical guide to help businesses tackle the problems encountered by mobile workers. The “Get fit for mobile working” guide – launched on August 27 – is designed to help mobile workers avoid the back, neck and arm problems that can arise as a result of working in unfamiliar environments with a poor posture. It helps to identify common issues, their causes, and solutions to ensure workers avoid problems now and in the future. The advice will be communicated internally to more than 100,000 employees at BT itself. Bill Murphy, Managing Director of BT Business said: “Businesses need to be aware of their legal responsibility for the health and safety of employees, wherever they are working. There has been a lack of advice for employees about best practice mobile working.”
Improving business ethics by surveying employees
A report entitled “Surveying staff on ethical matters” is the latest Good Practice Guide from the Institute of Business Ethics. “In an era when one ethical lapse can significantly effect an entire company’s reputation, fostering a culture where ethical issues and challenges are openly discussed and dealt with is critical,” said Philippa Foster Back, director of the IBE. The report, launched on August 1, suggests different methodologies for surveying staff, as well as ways of ensuring that such surveys are effective.
Contact
The Institute of Business Ethics
020 7798 6040 www.ibe.org.uk
ING tops Corporate Equality Index ING, the global financial services company, has earned the top rating of 100% in the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. ING joins the ranks of 259 other major US businesses to achieve top marks for their treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transvestite (LGBT) employees and consumers. The CEI rated 583 businesses in total, evaluating LGBT-related policies and practices, including non-discrimination policies, transgender health benefits and domestic partner benefits.
Few women are in positions of power
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s annual report revealed that fewer women hold top positions in almost half of the categories examined. Women’s representation among FTSE 100 directors has improved slightly from 10.4% to 11%. Compared to previous years the estimated number of years it will take women to achieve equal status at senior levels in FTSE 100 companies has increased by a further 8 years to a total of 73 years. This year’s “Sex and Power” report, published on September 4, is part of the “Working Better” project, launched in July, which aims to identify and promote innovative ways of working.
To download the report visit to: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/Documents/EHRC/sexandpower08.pdf
Contact
Equality and Human Rights Commission
02031170255
Flexible working thrives
The latest survey by the CBI and Pertemps, published on September 8, reveals that the number of people teleworking from home has risen sharply in the last few years. Employers offer more work flexibility than ever, with 46% of them offering teleworking to staff. It is a dramatic increase from 14% two years ago and 11% in 2004. Employers have also become increasingly supportive of staff looking to take career breaks or sabbaticals. However two thirds of those surveyed complained that employment regulation was endangering labour market flexibility.
Bullying at work still an issue
14% of employees have been bullied in their job, according to a YouGov poll% admitted that bullying is an issue where they work. The survey, published on September 5 and commissioned by the Trade Union Confederation, revealed that bullying is more common in the public sector (19%) than in the private sector (12%) or the voluntary sector (8%).
Contact
Trade Union Confederation
020 7467 1248 www.tuc.org.uk
ACAS urges businesses to avoid tribunal claims by establishing fair pay
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has launched a new guide to help make businesses less vulnerable to equal pay claims through the use of job evaluation. The guide, published on September 1, explains how to establish and implement a job evaluation risk analysis. It also explains the benefits of such strategies.
Contact
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
020 7072 4111 www.acas.org.uk
Novo Nordisk joins the Call to Action for gender equality Novo Nordisk has joined the global Call to Action programme to accelerate progress on the Millennium Development Goal 3 – to empower women and promote gender equality. The initiative has been promoted by the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, Ulla Tørnæs. Novo Nordisk has committed to improving the situation for women living with diabetes in the developing world. The company’s goal is to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for women who have higher diabetes-related morbidity and mortality rates due to biological, cultural and socioeconomic factors.
Stakeholder group to make Britain fairer
On August 22The Government Equalities Office announced a new senior stakeholder group to support equality development. The group will provide advice on how to further strengthen equality protection and to streamline laws in this area. Senior trade unions and members of industry groups as well as representatives from across the equalities spectrum have been invited to take part in group’s monthly meetings, which will start in September.
Women earn less than men in Europe
The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions published a report on August 21 examining the gender pay gap in EU countries. On average women earn almost 16% less than men doing similar jobs. Among the 28 countries examined in the report, the gender wage gap was greatest in Slovakia (27%) and smallest in Slovenia (7%). Belgium, Greece, Ireland and Italy showed a notably narrower gender wage gap of 10% or less. In Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal, there was a comparatively wider wage gap of 20% or more.
Female migrant workers at risk of being underpaid
Research commissioned by the Trade Union Confederation’s Commission on Vulnerable Employment has revealed that migrant workers are much more likely to experience problems at work. The study, carried out by the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society at the University of Oxford and published on August 11, has also shown that migrant employees are more likely to be working as temps or in insecure work than any other workers. Female migrants were 1.5 times more likely to be paid less than the National Minimum Wage than their male counterparts.
Contact
Trade Union Confederation
020 7467 1337 www.tuc.org.uk
65% of British workers feel underpaid
Recent research by UNUM has established that 65% of the British workers feel that they are not paid enough. Only 2% of those questioned believe they are overpaid. On average, British workers feel that they are underpaid by £5,250 a year. The same proportion of women and men stated that they feel underpaid, however on average women want less of a pay increase than men.
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