UK Employee Relations Articles

Please note that many other articles with IR implications appear under different headings, e.g, employment law.

Bullying in the Hybrid Workplace
December 21 2021 - Bullying at work reflects the culture of a workplace. The pandemic has significantly disruped the culture in many workplaces

How to Create a Positive Workplace
June 20 2021 - Here are a few ways to improve the work environment for your staff.

Bullying in the Workplace
March 21 2021 - Bullying is a major source of stress for some employees. Its effects compromise career development and health, and can affect both personal life and professional achievement.

3 key ways to support your hospitality staff over Christmas
November 15 2019 - As an employer, it's always important to make sure you’re providing your team with enough support to do their best work. But are you doing everything you could to help them over Christmas?

How You Can Benefit from Employee Surveys
June 5 2017 - Some helpful information that you can use to empower your workforce and fix those underlying issues that may be affecting your productivity.

The Importance of Team Building in HR Management
May 12 2017 - Team building can play a huge part in strengthening a corporate culture and a great tool in achieving an efficient organisation.

5 HR Mistakes to Avoid When Dismissing Staff
May 11 2017 - Sometimes, when all other avenues have failed, it is necessary to say goodbye to underperforming employees in order to optimise business efficiency.

Implementing an effective social media policy
March 23 2016 - Social media's presence in the workplace grows more prolific by the day, and as such is impacting the way in which managers, employees and even job applicants communicate.

"2015 must bring living standards boost as average wage fell £500 in 2014"
December 30 2014 - Full text of TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady's New Year message.

ACAS Early Conciliation - Is it Working?
September 9 2014 - Ian Abel of Michael Lewin Solicitors comments on ACAS statistics regarding the first quarter of Early Conciliation

Settlement Agreements - a guide for employers
December 18 2013 - A Settlement Agreement (previously known as a compromise agreement) is a legally binding confidential agreement between you and your employee.

Absence Levels
October 9 2012 - The latest CIPD Absence Survey shows a drop from an average of 7.7 to 6.8 days per employee.

The Future is Bright for Employers - the Future is Blue and Gold!
October 3 2012 - The annual statistics for claims in employment tribunals (ETs) for 2011/2012 have just been published. The statistics show a 15% reduction in ET claims being presented and an increase in costs awards by ETs, where over 80% have been made against claimants. Despite this, the Government is intent on its employment law reform programme under the auspices of promoting growth - especially for small businesses.

Changes to Unfair Dismissal Rules
October 5 2011 - The announcement by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Chancellor George Osborne that the qualification period for the right to claim unfair dismissal will be extended from one year to two years has attracted mixed responses.

Employment Tribunals Survey
April 23 2011 - Employers are concerned that they are vulnerable to frivolous or unjustified employment tribunal claims according to a Conflict Management survey published prior to a recent CIPD conference.

Unions Supporting Economic Recovery
June 9 2010 - UK unions are supporting economic recovery by helping to reduce stress and lack of motivation in the workplace according to a recent report from the TUC.

Mediation & Conflict Resolution At Work
October 10 2008 - A recent report finds that UK businesses are being badly affected by poorly managed conflicts in the workplace. A timely new book may help.

Welsh Trade Union Membership Grows
August 24, 2008 - The Department for Business has released figures showing trade union membership in Wales grew by nearly 6,000 members (1.5%) in 2007.

Businesses Failing to Control Internet Use
Updated June 26, 2008 - Employees in small and medium sized businesses in Europe averaged almost two hours a day on the Internet, with half an hour on non-work-related sites.

ACAS Contributes To Economy
November 19 2007 - An independent study report shows that Acas is a highly cost-effective organization returning £16 for every pound invested in the employment relations service.

Office Party Warnings
November 28 2006 - A new survey of almost 5000 managers by law firm Peninsula suggests that the majority are concerned that this year's office Christmas parties will lead to employment tribunal claims because of bad staff behaviour.

Union Recognition Deals Tougher to Secure
28 April 2006 - Today's annual TUC Trade Union Trends 'Focus on Recognition' survey shows that the number of agreements signed with employers has fallen despite a trebling of the number of trade union campaigns for recognition deals.

British Airways Cuts Management Jobs
November 30 2005 - British Airways has announced plans to re-structure the business and cut 35% (357) of its 1,715 management jobs by March 2008.

Better deals for Polish workers
25 October 2005 - A Polish union official joins the North West TUC to help Polish workers get a better deal at work.

Businesses losing confidence in tribunal system, say CBI
30 September 2005 - A report from the CBI (the employers' organisation) shows that British businesses have major concerns about the complexity of the new employment tribunal procedures despite a fall in the number of tribunal cases since the reforms were introduced last October.

Union recognitions stabilise
27 May 2005 - 179 union recognition agreements were achieved in 2004, according to a TUC report.

Big Brother Bosses Bad for Business
1 July 2004 - 'Stop snooping', a report in a recent edition of the TUC backed Hazards magazine, says that new technologies and the lack of privacy rights at work mean bosses can monitor employees constantly and secretly, which is bad for their productivity and health.

Labour disputes at record low in 2003
11 June 2004 - Work stoppages in the UK fell to just 133 in 2003 - the lowest ever recorded.

Bullying and harassment complaints - is mediation the answer
2 April 2004 - Workplace Mediation is becoming an increasingly popular dispute resolution method to resolve interpersonal employee conflicts including harassment and bullying complaints. Nora Doherty, Director of Professional Mediation Resolutions (PMR) explains what mediation is, how it can be most appropriately used by organisations and what kind of training staff may require.

Co-operation not confrontation, says Digby Jones
9 September 2003 - CBI Chief Digby Jones called for trade unionists to turn away from the language of confrontation to a constructive agenda that meets the needs of the constantly changing and ever increasing demands of a competitive, globalised economy.

New Dispute Resolution Procedures
9 July 2003 - From October 2004, there will be a requirement for employers and employees to follow a minimum three-stage process to ensure that disputes are discussed at work.

Wall of Silence Employers
8 July 2003 - The Work Foundation has warned that the DTI's plans to make organisations consult their employees about business decisions are facing a huge challenge in trying to change the attitudes and practice of the many companies hostile to employee consultation and information disclosure.

Consultation Framework
7 July 2003 - The government is required to implement the EU Directive on Information and Consultation. The DTI has now agreed a framework with the TUC and CBI.

The Future of Trade Unions
12 June 2003 - Brendan Barber's City University Vice-Chancellor's Lecture.

Review finds that Employment Relations Act is 'working well'
3 March 2003 - A DTI review of The Employment Relations Act (1999) indicates that it is succeeding in delivering better working standards and promoting a new climate of co-operation between workers and employers.

Union Recognition Still Rising
24 February 2003 - Trade union recognition is still rising across the UK, according to the TUC's annual survey, Focus on Recognition, but the going is getting tougher as unions are left with smaller, more resistant and obstructive employers to deal with.

Monitoring internet use and emails
15 October 2002 - A survey of organizational 'netiquette' from The Work Foundation reports that employees are increasingly likely to be fired because of 'kiss and tell' and other inappropriate emails.

ACAS Report 2002
12 August 2002 - Acas will have a vital role to play in spreading good practice and resolving disputes over the next few years, according to Acas Chair Rita Donaghy.

Consignia slashes jobs
25 March 2002 - Parcelforce Worldwide' workforce of 11,700 people will be reduced by around 6,700, over and above natural turnover.

Consignia managers not happy
25 February 2002 - A survey of 600 senior managers by Amicus, the union for managers and professionals in Consignia, indicates that the Post Office lacks the skills, direction and leadership to cope with the challenges it faces.

£1.2 million for Partnership projects
22 October 2001 - £1.2 million of Government money is available to businesses and organisations wanting to develop workplace practices to improve communication between bosses and workers under a new round of the DTI's Partnership Fund.

The Industrial Society attacks proposals for 'partial privatisation' of ACAS
8 October 2001 - The consultation document Routes to Resolution: improving dispute resolution in Britain has provoked an angry response about the 'partial privatisation' of ACAS from the Industrial Society.

Marks and Spencer should think again
17 May 2001 - ETUC/UNI demonstration calling on Marks and Spencer to reconsider closure of their European operations

Safety partnership
19 February 2001 - The TUC claims that 20,000 major workplace injuries a year could be prevented, and a third of a million days sickness absence avoided if more businesses and unions took a partnership approach to issues of health and safety.

Reform of employment agency regulations
1 February 2001 - Over half a million temporary workers in the UK should benefit from changes to employment rules.