Young Managers Dissatisfied

It is reported today in People Management that more than half of young managers are dissatisfied with their jobs and are considering change. The figures come from a survey by leadership organisation Common Purpose.

People Management says that the study, entitled, “Time for a change”, surveyed 200 junior or middle managers and found that 53 per cent of managers under 34 years old said they were not sufficiently fulfilled at work, and half of respondents were either thinking about or actively seeking a change in job.

The least satisfied sector was the not-for-profit sector where 75 per cent of managers were thinking about a change.

Camapian Launched Against HIV Discrimination

To coincide with World AIDS Day 2007 tomorrow (Saturday) the TUC is launching a workplace leaflet and poster campaign about HIV, to combat the discrimination and stigma that accompanies infection.

Alongside the global pandemic, infections in the UK continue to rise with more than 70,000 people now HIV positive in Britain. The workplace is a key battleground against HIV as it is a condition suffered disproportionately by people of working age. And although discrimination on grounds of HIV infection is illegal under the Disability Discrimination Act - many people living with HIV face unfair treatment at work.

The TUC advice, written jointly with the National AIDS Trust, explains the main facts about HIV and how it is transmitted, as well as relevant employment law issues. It also points out the need for unions to guard against the risks of unfair discrimination against people living with HIV.

The leaflet proposes policies to support those with HIV at work that unions can negotiate with employers, and also points out the danger that ignorance about HIV can lead to homophobia and racism - as gay men and black Africans are the two groups in society where the highest rate of infection occurs.

New Guidance on Tackling Stress

The Health and Safety Executive has published new guidance on managing work related stress.

Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health, poor productivity and human error. That means increased sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance in organisations and a possible increase in accidents due to human error.

Based on the Management Standards, this new guide aims to help employers, employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress.

Priced at £10.95, it is available from HSE books.

Tackle Root Causes of Ill Health Says TUC

More employers are becoming aware of the need to promote a healthy lifestyle by offering ’stop smoking’ or lunchtime exercise classes to employees, but if they really want to improve the health of their workforce, they should address problems like stress and poor office design that are really making their staff ill, says the TUC today (Thursday).

In its submission to Dame Carol Black’s review of the health of the working age population, the TUC says that employers’ attempts to encourage healthy living are most effective when they look at how work can contribute to or cause lifestyle problems.

But the TUC also warns against employers moralising over lifestyle issues. Drug and alcohol issues, for instance, are a concern when they affect the performance of a person in the workplace or put at risk the safety of workers or the public. Good employers may wish to assist any employees who have an addiction problem that is affecting them or their work. But employers should not be attempting to interfere in what employees do outside the office if it has no bearing on what goes on at work.

The TUC submission says that there is a difference between an employer who is keen to introduce choices and working methods that will help staff who want to control their weight, and the employer who wants to force anyone who they consider overweight to change their eating habits.

It is the working environment that often makes staff ill or unhealthy, and the TUC submission urges employers to avoid working arrangements that leave employees desk-bound for long periods of time. Similarly, workplaces with poorly managed workloads or where bullying is rife can increase employees’ stress levels. However, the TUC believes that proper work-life balance policies can go a long way towards encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

Although healthy food in staff canteens, subsidised gym membership or access to counselling for those with drug or alcohol problems are to be encouraged, the TUC says that lunchtime yoga classes are no substitute for reducing stress in the workplace. And while access to fresh fruit is a good thing, it won’t be of much use to employees who never get to take a lunch break, nor will gym access be a benefit to those who work late night after night.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “The workplace can, like any other environment, be a useful place to encourage people to make healthy choices, but it must be done in a non-judgemental way. Employers should be creating opportunities so that staff can make healthier choices should they so chose, rather than try to force them to adopt a particular lifestyle that has no bearing on how they do their jobs.”

The full response which covers a wide range of issues including prevention, sickness absence, access to occupational health provision and rehabilitation can be found at http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-14004-f0.cfm

Campaign Pack Launched For Learners With Mental Health Difficulties

One in Four, a new campaign pack from NIACE for learners with mental health difficulties - will be launched at a conference being held in London today (Thursday).

The One in Four campaign pack builds on the learner work that was published in the NIACE publication of the same name, but also provides ideas and strategies to campaign on issues around mental health, including using art and creativity to raise awareness about mental health and to challenge discrimination. One in Four also includes briefing sheets on applying for funding and dealing with the media.

Kathryn James, NIACE Development Officer for Learning and Health, said: “We hope that One in Four will be useful to everyone who wants to draw attention to any particular issues about mental health, or to campaign for better services for people with mental health difficulties. We are launching it at our Annual Mental Health Conference Our Learning Journey, to coincide with a celebration of the journey that practitioners have made to improving services to people with mental health difficulties.”

Extension Of Train To Gain

The Government has announced a big extension of the Train to Gain scheme. The doubling of funding is part of a massive investment programme announced this month by Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills John Denham, which will see more than £11 billion a year invested in education, employment and training.

Further details can be found in the the departmental press release.

Long Hours Working On Increase

Long hours working is on the increase in the UK, reversing the slow but steady ten-year decline in people working more than 48 hours a week - according to a new TUC analysis published yesterday.

More than one in eight of the workforce now work more than 48 hours each week, with as many as one in six in London putting in 48 hours plus a week.

While the law protects people against an average working week of more than 48 hours unless they opt out of working time rules, the TUC says that a lack of enforcement means that bad employers know that this is one employment right that they can breach with little or no risk of any consequences.

Good employers have responded to concerns about the need for a greater work-life balance, but these figures show that a hard core of bad employers are taking no notice of either the law or calls from government, progressive employers and unions, says the TUC.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, “There is undoubted abuse of the law, but employers know they can get away with it because it is rarely enforced. Neither the Health and Safety Executive nor local authorities who share responsibility for enforcement have the resources to implement the law. And the Government knows that employers can abuse the opt-out as ministers consulted on ways to close loopholes in 2004, but have yet to bring forward any concrete proposals for change. The current discussions on how best to protect vulnerable workers and enforce existing rights must include working time rights and closing the loopholes that make a voluntary opt-out a joke.”

ACM recently undertook a survey of members’ working hours and results will be published in the new year. However, initial findings suggest that the 48 hour week is being repeatedly flouted by FE colleges.

Earlier Start to Redundancy Consultation?

Colleges are being advised to begin redundancy consultation earlier as a result of recent case law, reported previously on this blog.

The Association of Colleges has issued a briefing to its members saying that the duty to consult on collective redundancies starts when they are first being contemplated. They say that this means consulting the moment redundancies become a possibility, rather than when they are actually proposed.

Eversheds, the law firm that represents many FE colleges, said in their own briefing (HR e-briefing 291) that, “This case represents a significant step towards European consultation practices by involving worker representatives in the reasons for redundancies and closures, as opposed to presenting such situations as a fait accompli.”

ACM has argued consistently that most colleges only pay lip service to consultation. But with the employers organisation and their solicitors both now saying consultation must begin earlier, then perhaps things will at last improve. One key test of the new advice will be whether consultation starts before the governors are given the final proposals, something that until now would be unheard of. The legal ruling and all the advice suggests that it should, so we expect some interesting arguments ahead.

FE Poor Relation on Salaries

More evidence that further education is the poor relation has emerged from figures published by the Office of National Statistics.

Looking at average salaries in the year to April 2007, the ONS says that FE teachers earn £2000 less than school teachers and a massive £10,000 less than university teachers. A more detailed report can be found on the BBC News website.

TUC Says Reverse Cuts In Safety

Last year, according to figures from the Health and Safety Commission, over 140,000 reported workplace accidents took place resulting in employees suffering injuries such as amputations, chemical burns and fractures. Responding to the figures, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Today’s statistics are very disappointing. Thirty six million days lost to ill-health at work is unacceptably high and this number has risen in the last year.

‘This is bad news for everyone. Too many employers are getting off the hook because the HSE does not have the tools to deal with the massive workplace health problems we face.

‘We share the HSE’s recognition that more needs to be done on enforcement and welcome the steps that have been taken. But the HSE cannot meet its targets for reducing occupational ill-health by 2010 without a significant increase in the resources available.

‘Instead, the HSE has had its workforce reduced and faces further cuts of up to five per cent for the next three years as a result of the current spending review. These spending trends must be reversed. Otherwise, employers will continue to get away with playing fast and loose with their staff’s heath.”