(PR in) HR Pulse | HR News Round-up: 17th – 23rd July 2023

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Working mums leave work due to discrimination

Pregnant Then Screwed and Women In Data's joint report reveals two-thirds (64%) of pregnant women have been subjected to negative comments about their appearance from their employers and colleagues. 

Of the c24,000 parents surveyed, more than half (52%) of mothers have experienced discrimination in the workplace and almost a quarter (20%) have resigned as a result.

One in ten said they were bullied and or harassed while pregnant or returning to work and 7% said they were made redundant, fired or forced to resign after being denied flexible working and/or necessary adjustments for health and safety needs.

Kate Palmer, HR Advice and Consultancy Director at Peninsula urges HRs to take the reins to prevent discrimination against mothers through inclusivity training and better communication with employees who are expecting. 

Claire Taylor-Evans, Senior Associate at Boyes Turner, seconds the need for training against discrimination and flexible working, along with dedicated performance management and time off for necessary medical appointments and wellbeing sessions. She says there could be serious repercussions for organisations that fail to address discrimination, including legal risks, financial costs and lasting damage to reputation.   

Taylor-Evans adds that the Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act will come into effect next year which builds on the Equality Act, the Employment Rights Act and Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations. The Pregnancy and Family Leave Act will ensure employees on maternity leave are protected and prioritised during redundancy periods. 

Source: People Management.

The Flexible Working Bill has passed but is it what was expected?

The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill proposed and led by Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi, has received royal assent as of 20 July and is enroute to come into effect in 2024.

Employees across England, Scotland and Wales will now be able to request flexible working twice in 12 months - rather than once. Employers must respond to requests within 2 months  - changed from three months. To deny a flexible working request, employers are now obligated to provide a reason for their decisions in consultation with the employee in question - previously, employers were able to deny requests outright with no pushback.

As a result of this obligation, Acas is in the process of updating its Code of Practice. Its current draft still consists of the previous 8 reasons for rejecting a flexible working request but heavily emphasises detailed justifications for any rejection - the draft will be finalised on the 6th of September 2023.

Also, employees are no longer required to explain how their request could affect their role or how it could be managed - reducing employees' reluctance to submit their request(s). 

Peter Cheese, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Chair of the government’s Flexible Working Taskforce, says the Flexible Working Bill will address and tackle the ongoing skills shortage and talent retention issues. Employers who use a combination of different flexible working arrangements, such as flexible work hours and hybrid working will benefit the most from this change regardless of their occupation. 

The government has also stated that employees will be able to ask for flexible working adjustments on the first day of employment - potentially omitting the previous 26 weeks of service requirement. However, this omission isn’t explicitly stated in the Flexible Working Bill.

Caroline Phillips, Senior Associate at Fladgate, says although there have been some important changes made to the bill, not enough has been done to make flexible working truly accessible for all. Phillips adds that maintaining the 26 weeks of service requirement means employers and employees are unlikely to feel the substantial change the bill had initially proposed.

Sources: Employee Benefits, HR Review, HR Magazine and People Management.

Workplace conflict is on the rise 

Acas has revealed it held c600 impartial negotiations between employers and employees from April 2022 to March 2023 - c100 more than last year.

During the 2022-23 period, Acas received 14.4 million visits to its conflict resolution website, 649,000 calls to its helpline and 105,000 requests for early conciliation where they spoke to the employer and employee separately to resolve the issue. 

Susan Clews, CEO of Acas, says the organisation successfully resolved c72,000 disputes before they reached an expensive tribunal - adding that in the UK, workplace disputes amount to c£28.5 billion a year.

Research from ReWAGE shows more than a third (1 in 3) of employees experience conflict in the workplace - costing on average c£1000 per employee.

Prof. Richard Saundry, author of the report, says the pandemic, remote working and the effect of retention on individuals' mental health and wellbeing all contributed to this increase in workplace conflict and disputes. Saundry adds that due to the emotional and financial impact of tribunals, conflicts are best resolved within the workplace.

Anna Shields, Director at Consensio, advises employers to take a proactive approach by training employees to have foundational conflict resolution skills in an attempt to catch and resolve disputes early on.

Source: HR Magazine.