Latest news with #Acas
Business News Wales
4 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
The Value of Early Resolution
Having been involved in industrial relations in some form for around 40 years, it's hard to identify a time when there has been so much political, economic and social focus on it, as there is currently. The Labour government has centred 'rebalancing power in the workplace' at the heart of its growth strategy with the comprehensive Employment Rights Bill introducing a new wave of rights for workers and regulations for trade unions. While employers have highlighted risks of increased costs, the direction of travel the government has committed to should provide an impetus for employers to get ahead of these risks by auditing their current employee relations systems and processes. Even without these new rights, there is an incredibly strong argument for managing workplace disagreements better. Analysis by Acas shows that the cost of workplace conflict to UK employers is estimated to stand at £28.5 billion, the equivalent of £1000 for every employee. Even before any new employment rights are brought in, that's a powerful case for improving how we resolve workplace level disputes. When workplace issues escalate and become formal disciplinary or grievance processes, costs, both financial and emotional, escalate significantly. Anyone who has been party to these processes will understand that these are far from pleasant experiences for managers or workers and the more it escalates, the more costly they become. It does seem to be the case that as escalation has become more prevalent, we've lost the skills to disagree well and resolve issues quickly and informally. Acas's 2025-25 Annual Report shows that it dealt with over 117,000 individual disputes, an increase of 13,000 on the previous year, with the figure the highest since the Covid pandemic. There's much evidence to support a better way of resolving conflict. New Acas research carried out by The Social Agency outlines a series of values and characteristics that can prevent issues escalating into costly and damaging formal processes. Because disagreement happens wherever there are human relationships it's critical that we're able to manage concerns as amicably as possible through early resolution conversations. Our research suggests that, while there is no single approach that works best and no one-size-fits-all solution, there are principles that consistently apply. Critically, informal resolution must be early, close to where the issue arose and voluntary. There are scenarios where a formal process is the right one, but there are many cases where a direct, honest and open conversation can lead to a satisfactory solution. The key goal is to create a space where people feel listened to, and their concerns heard and acted upon. Our research too showed that language mattered. The word 'conflict' itself can induce a defensiveness, and any talk of 'grievance' can trigger a sense that the conversation is not informal at all, but merely the first stage in that formal process. The type of conversation for early resolution is, and should be, very different from any formal process. Grievance or disciplinary investigations are ultimately about ascertaining facts and then making a judgement. Early resolution conversations should be about understanding ill-feelings, identifying the basis for those feelings and what will resolve the concern. That includes appreciating that different parties may see things differently. These types of conversation require different skills. Managers are often trained in leadership, managing performance, absence or development. Early resolution conversations require a range of skills we don't often talk about: empathy, compassion and emotional intelligence. Environmental or cultural factors can be an enabler or a barrier, too. For early resolution conversations to take place, let alone to work, there needs to be a level of trust. For workers to have confidence that they will be heard and issues resolved, they need to feel a sufficient level of psychological safety to raise issues in the first place. This level of trust can take a long time to gain and can be lost very quickly. Acas is there to help organisations resolve conflict when it emerges, and we also help employers to establish the culture and systems that prevent disputes arising in the first place. The case for trying to achieve it is overwhelming. Early resolution may not always be the right course, and it may not work, but where it does, there are huge financial savings as well as huge emotional gains to be made.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City council slashes HR policies
The number of HR policies and procedure documents at Southampton City Council has been slashed. The council has reduced its documents from 55 to ten. A review was carried out to modernise and simplify the policies, with many of the existing items found to be out of date. Kerry Eldridge, director of people and organisational culture, said it was hoped the new policies could be launched across the council as quickly as possible. Speaking at a governance committee meeting on Monday, July 28, Ms Eldridge said: 'Everyone has been crying for these for quite some time. 'The trade unions quite frankly hate the policies that we are currently utilising. 'I can't say the managers like them either because they struggle to find their way through them.' The meeting heard the council's people and organisational culture team had been working on reviewing the policies for the past four months using Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) templates. Feedback had been taken from legal colleagues, trade unions, managers and employees. Three statutory policies – disciplinary, resolution/grievance and sickness absence – were presented to the governance committee for approval. A fourth – employee code of conduct – will come forward at a later date when more of the council's governance review is completed. Meanwhile, the other six documents were procedures on how the council does things within the organisation.
Times
30-07-2025
- Health
- Times
Mental health drives surge in workplace discrimination cases
Disability discrimination cases have leapt by more than 40 per cent in a year as employers struggle to get to grips with mental health claims brought by staff. Researchers said on Tuesday a 'surge' in workplace disputes related to depression, stress and the menopause was increasing the number of claims at tribunals. Sixteen per cent of workplace disputes over the past year were found to involve disability discrimination, up from 9 per cent two years before. The figures came from an analysis of data held by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), which showed that the number of disability discrimination cases referred to the body after an employment tribunal claim was issued had jumped by 41 per cent in a year, from 8,496 in 2023-24 to 11,958. When looking at all cases referred from the tribunal to Acas for early conciliation, 28 per cent concerned disability discrimination in 2024-25, up from 23 per cent in 2022-23. According to Nockolds, the law firm that commissioned the research, the surge in disability discrimination disputes being dealt with by Acas 'reflects a growing number of conditions being classified as disabilities in a way which would not have been considered the norm a few years ago, including mental health'. A government report published in March said that younger people who said they had mental health conditions were nearly five times more likely to be economically inactive than others in their age group. A report from the Institute of Financial Studies this year found that 13 to 15 per cent of the working-age population reported a long-term mental or behavioural health condition, up from 8 to 10 per cent a decade ago. Disability in the workplace is legally defined in the Equality Act 2010 as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on an individual's ability to conduct normal daily activities. • William Hague: Welfare reform is a moral and financial must Legal experts have argued that despite growing awareness of 'non-visible' disabilities, many employers continue to struggle with the definition of mental impairment. There are also fears that economic pressures — including an increased tax burden on businesses — are forcing employers to be less accommodating to staff with mental health disabilities. According to Joanna Sutton, a lawyer at Nockolds, some employers have decided 'to scale back flexible working arrangements, sometimes disregarding individual wellbeing'. That, Sutton said, had created a 'disconnect between expectations and support mechanisms' that was 'increasingly contributing to workplace tensions, grievances and formal disputes'. • NHS opens first 24/7 mental health hub to help get people into work Amendments two decades ago to disability discrimination legislation prompted bosses to make significant physical infrastructure changes, such as installing ramps, lifts and accessible lavatories. Sutton said that 'while these adjustments were vital, they also reflected a narrow interpretation of disability'. When employees raised concerns about mental health, managers were often 'ill-prepared to respond appropriately by making reasonable adjustments or worried about saying the wrong thing'. She added: 'The result is a growing risk of litigation, not necessarily due to malice but due to ignorance or procedural inertia.'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Call for council leader to quit in bin strikes row
A union is calling for Birmingham's council leader to quit over what they called the authority's "abhorrent" and "shambolic" handling of the city's bin strike. Talks broke down on Wednesday with the council saying it was "walking away", after conciliation service Acas had started mediating negotiations in May. Leader John Cotton said the authority had "sought to be reasonable and flexible but we have reached the absolute limit of what we can offer". Unite's national lead officer Onay Kasab said on Thursday: "The way his council under his leadership has mishandled this dispute and with yesterday's appalling announcement, as a Labour councillor he really needs to be considering his position." Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? In response, a spokesperson for the city council did not comment on calls for Cotton to consider his position but said they would be talking to staff and unions about their next steps. The union walked out on strike after claiming 170 workers would face losing up to £8,000 a year due to the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles. Mountains of rubbish have been seen across the city at points during the strikes, since bin collection workers walked out in January, with an all-out strike going on since March. On Wednesday, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham repeated earlier claims that the council had resorted to a "fire and rehire" strategy. Accusing the council of a "shambolic" mishandling of the dispute, including a "daft" attempt to negotiate via a statement to the media, Mr Kasab said on Thursday of Cotton: "I think he really has to seriously consider his position." The national lead officer also stated there had "not been numerous offers that the union has turned down". "The question to the council is how do redundancies and cuts to people's pay improve services," he added. "That's the question that John Cotton really has to answer now." The council leader said on Wednesday that the authority had "now run out of time", after negotiating in good faith. Cotton added "unfortunately Unite has rejected all offers so we must now press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service". The Labour-run council would communicate with staff and unions as to its next steps, with voluntary redundancy remaining on the table alongside opportunities for training and redeployment, the leader said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Bin lorry drivers face axe as strike talks fail No end in sight for bin strike after six months Union denies 'targeting' school linked to bins boss Bin collections not back to normal - politicians Conciliation talks no miracle cure - ex Acas chief Birmingham City Council Unite
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Call for Birmingham City Council leader to quit in bin strikes row
A union is calling for Birmingham's council leader to quit over what they called the authority's "abhorrent" and "shambolic" handling of the city's bin broke down on Wednesday with the council saying it was "walking away", after conciliation service Acas had started mediating negotiations in John Cotton said the authority had "sought to be reasonable and flexible but we have reached the absolute limit of what we can offer".Unite's national lead officer Onay Kasab said on Thursday: "The way his council under his leadership has mishandled this dispute and with yesterday's appalling announcement, as a Labour councillor he really needs to be considering his position." In response, a spokesperson for the city council did not comment on calls for Cotton to consider his position but said they would be talking to staff and unions about their next union walked out on strike after claiming 170 workers would face losing up to £8,000 a year due to the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) of rubbish have been seen across the city at points during the strikes, since bin collection workers walked out in January, with an all-out strike going on since March. On Wednesday, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham repeated earlier claims that the council had resorted to a "fire and rehire" the council of a "shambolic" mishandling of the dispute, including a "daft" attempt to negotiate via a statement to the media, Mr Kasab said on Thursday of Cotton: "I think he really has to seriously consider his position."The national lead officer also stated there had "not been numerous offers that the union has turned down"."The question to the council is how do redundancies and cuts to people's pay improve services," he added. "That's the question that John Cotton really has to answer now."The council leader said on Wednesday that the authority had "now run out of time", after negotiating in good added "unfortunately Unite has rejected all offers so we must now press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service".The Labour-run council would communicate with staff and unions as to its next steps, with voluntary redundancy remaining on the table alongside opportunities for training and redeployment, the leader said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
