April 2021 Edition (PDF)
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April/May 2021 The ethics of compulsory jabs – and three other questions HR needs to answer urgently Contents p28 April/May 2021 HR can’t get a moment’s respite at the minute. Between ever-changing p18 lockdown restrictions, reporting deadlines, governmental policy changes and significant Supreme Court rurulliinnggss,, there’s lolottss foforr pepeooppllee p38 professionals to stay on top of – alalll whwhiillee ststiillll exhausted after a year (and counting) of the pandemic. Th at’s why we’ve taken four of the biggest dilemmas and explained what they mean for employers. Eleanor Whitehouse Acting editor News & analysis Welcome from the CIPD p5 This month we’ve learned... p6 NEWS: Post-Covid mental health p8 PLUS ApriAprill dedeadladlinines; emploemployee ssuurrvveeiillallance Legal lowdown p14 Columnists Wendy AsAslleetttt anandd R Racachehell CuCurrirriee p16 Case studies p24 Visit Britain/Visit England p18 Camelot Group p20 p42 TY Govia Thameslink Railway p23 ET /G AR Features p30 ST D What BrBrexiexitt wilwilll meanmean foforr rerecrcruitmenentt p24 AN OUT The UK’s depdeparture cocouulldd hahavvee bibigg imimpplliiccaattiioonsns foforr hihiringring S ST ES COVER Is mandamandating ththee CoCovviidd jajabb fafaiirr?? p30 PR Opinions araree divided on whwheetthherer fi rmrmss cacann exexppecect ststaaffff EX COLIN , ; to have the vaccine CK EEM ‘Firiree anandd rerehihire’ tataccticstics in ththee spspototlight p32 TO EY T- RS The contentious prpraacticticcee cacann be successful if handlhandled wewellll JI TE Is ththiiss ththee enendd of ththee gigigg ececonoonommyy?? p38 RK UT LA Our exexppeerrtt panpanel exexppllorores whawhat UberUber’’ss dedefeafeatt at the SH AI P/ Supreme CoCouurrtt memeaannss foforr the lablabouourr mamarrkkeett /A MM IN How to fail – well p42 SO p36 : TE pxx P3 Creating a cucullttureure ththaatt encoencourages failure cocouulldd brbringing ; GS ES AU big bubusinessiness bebenenefi ts K AG AN IM Career path FR TY M; ET Who I am Soraya Reid p49 CO /G LI Reviews p50 AL The Fixer p53 People andand popossttss p54 COB KING JONCH JA ; Research p57 R: ES CIPD Focus p58 p49 VE AG CO IM Could HR solsolve...? Working GiGirrll p62 peoplemanagement.co.uk 3 Join us online and explore what it means to lead a responsible and agile business, and adapt to the new era of good work in a post-Covid, post-Brexit climate. 15-17 June 2021 20+ hours of thought-provoking sessions from senior leaders including: Brian Cox, CBE, OBE, FRS Professor of Particle Physics, University of Manchester Brian Cox, CBE, OBE, FRS Prerana Issar Prerana Issar Chief People Officer, NHS Dr Carl Benedikt Frey Director, Future of Work, University of Oxford Jenny McCulloch Head of Learning Experience Design, BBC Bata Davidovic Head of Leadership and Capabilities, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Jenny McCulloch Dr Carl Benedikt Frey Sandra Wallace Partner and Joint Managing Director, DLA Piper LLP, and Champion of the Year, Social Mobility Awards 2020 CIPD members save 25% Book by 23 April Bata Davidovic Sandra Wallace Conference #FestivalofWork festivalofwork.com sponsor Welcome fr om the CIPD Managing during uncertainty the world around Th e world of work is changing at a rapid rate, with them. Th ese are big many uncertainties as we emerge from the pandemic. drivers in engaging Th ere is much to be understood in dealing with with employees and retaining and changes in people’s expectations and needs, acting on attracting talent, as inclusion and understanding new regulations, as well well as reputation and as shifts in migration and changes in our workforces. brand image. Th e pandemic has Peter Cheese Operating in uncertain circumstances is acted as a big catalyst and we can’t let that Chief executive diffi cult – where the immediate future, let pass. People don’t stop being people when alone the longer term, is hard to predict. As they come to work. And if businesses and Fire and rehire Mark Twain reputedly observed, it’s diffi cult leaders care for the things their people “ALL YYOOUU to make predictions, especially about the care about, they will care for the things future. Most business leaders like certainty, the business cares about. Managers need HAVE TO DODO to be able to control what happens, and to be to understand and show empathy for ING'SB SPR IGG ES T IS SIGSIGNIGN TTHHEE able to make clear decisions with reasonable people’s other life commitments, mental S PR IN T G'SBIGGES CONTNTRACT” assurance of outcomes. But that is not always and physical wellbeing, feelings of d, Controversial ‘fi‘fire aanndd rerehire’ tactics hit the he adlines during Covi but therethere areare llessess dramatic waways to change co nditions en masse WORDS FRANCIS CHURCHILL reality. We all have to learn to live with safety, and concerns such as bullying and s wiwitthh myriad other dubious a backlash backlash aaftfterer it annannounced plans to cut employment contracts or risk losing their workplace ppraractices, the pprroocesscess 12,000 jobs completelycompletel and re-employ jobs. Aof tterminaterminatinging emplo yees’ the remaining 30,000 s the remaining 30,000 staff on less In January this year, the TUC released conttractsracts and re-enre-enggaaginging t themhem o onn newnew,, favofavourable termsterms folfollolowing the dramatic research suggesting as many as one in 10 oftenoften worse,wwoorsrse,e, termstteermsrms – dubbed ‘fi‘firree anandd drop iinn passenger numbnnuum ers caused by the workers had been told during lockdown rerehhirire’ – hhaass beenbeen broug ht to widespreawidespreadd pandemic. The airairlilinnene’se’s CEO, ÁlÁlexex Cr uz, last year to reapply for their jobs on attentionention du ring t thhee CoviCovidd pandepandemicpandemimicc aass eventuatualllly stood downdow over the row. worse terms and conditions, or face the uncertainty, and still innovate and progress. harassment inside and outside work. But big-big-name-nnaammee businebusinessessses grgrappleapple to dadammpenpen British Gas also facedface the threat of sack. But as Alex Watson, director at the econoeconomicmic falfalllout.out. GrGracingacing newspaper strike actiactionon fromfrom its workew rs after unions law firm Fieldfisher points out, the use headlines particularly frfrequenfrequequentlytly ddudururingringing accused the firfirmm of ttrrying to force its of fire and rehire tactics only makes MASHETER MOVIE ARCHIVE/ 202020 was British AirAirwways,waays,ys, whichwhich faced faced 20,000 employees to aaccept worse the news when it’s done badly – which 32 peoplemanagement.co.uk It requires the confidence to deal with we need to train managers more in these paradox and conflicting views, and to take critical aspects of people management. p32 risks. To be able to imagine diff erent things, All these have been areas of focus for the confront the known unknowns, and not just CIPD’s guidance, and will continue to be revert to the known past. You can’t steer a for the future. ship by looking at the wake – we have to learn Perhaps one of the biggest paradigm to work in agile ways, innovate and try things, shifts will be in making hybrid and fl exible accept failure as part of learning and learn as working more the norm. Th ere are many we go, while maintaining a strong guiding policy, logistical and cultural issues to be focus on vision and purpose. thought through. Th ere is not a manual As pressure grows on organisations and or rule book, and we will have to trust leaders in challenging times, the natural people and learn as we go. Let us all tendency is to try to minimise risk, to work hope that the progress being made on with the tried and tested, and to focus on vaccination programmes and the easing costs in the short term. Issues like inclusion of lockdowns allows some return to Employers will need to consider normality in the coming weeks. But we various issues to manage the and diversity or new ways of working can be transition to increased fl exible pushed backwards. will need to be prepared for a period and hybrid working Old paradigms are hard to shift, and so of continued change, adaptation and many of our ways of working have been with learning. Th is will require professional us for generations – the standard fi ve-day courage and infl uence, and we can help working week, the need to be visibly in places each other in our community connections, ; ES of work, a bias towards presenteeism and sharing knowledge and experience. AG IM command and control cultures. However, TY businesses all operate in a social context. And ET /G social change is demanding more transparency, OR LL YL more responsible and ethical business, more TA J fairness and inclusion, and demonstrable BURCHE AH action by leaders to show they are listening RY NN HA GA and responding to what is going on in peoplemanagement.co.uk 5 This month we’ve learned... {Health & wellbeing} z The big lesson Halfwant mandatory Covidjabs A survey has found that more than half of workers believe coronavirus vaccinations should be made compulsory for employees returning to the office. The poll of 2,000 workers, conducted by Glassdoor, found that 56 per cent The Supreme Courthas ruled thought there should be a predominantly female shopfloor requirement for staff to have staff can be compared to mostly male distribution workers had a Covid vaccination before they go back to the office, and one in seven (14 {Employment law} per cent) workers went as far as saying they would hand in their notice if they were Asdaworkerscanbringpayclaim required to return before In yet another significant decision to upheld by the Court of Appeal, and now all employees had been come out of the Supreme Court the Supreme Court. vaccinated. over the last few weeks, judges “Thiswill The common terms test is a Rachel Suff, nise or have ruled that retail store staff threshold test that an equal pay employment relations adviser for supermarket chain Asda can undoubtedly claim needs to meet before it at the CIPD, said employers be compared to distribution alarmother can proceed, and is designed should be doing all they can workers, paving the way for more to ‘weed out’ claims where the to encourage their staff to employees to bring equal pay supermarket disparity in pay can be explained get vaccinated, including claims against the retailer.