Latest news with #PeterCheese
Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
HR industry in crisis as trans ruling deepens rifts
'Are we really too 'woke'?' the boss of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) asked his members in a blog post last year. The topic, Peter Cheese claimed, was one which had 'real importance in the world of work'. It also has meant a busy year for the CIPD, 'responding to the 'anti-woke' pushback'. Yet many in the HR industry say they are not overly impressed. Instead, they wish the organisation, which was set up to improve the wellbeing of factory workers in 1913 and has over 160,000 members, would just stay out of culture war politics. 'You've got the Employment Rights Bill coming in and you don't see a strong opinion from them on that. Yet you do on the 'anti-woke' culture and transgender rights, despite a lot of HR professionals just wanting the sector to be balanced,' says one HR chief who used to work for the CIPD. 'At the same time it is growing its focus on the Middle East, where there are challenges around human rights.' Another HR veteran, who has long been a CIPD member, shares the same frustrations. 'There's always been a level of grumpiness about them – it's a bit like council tax with people asking, 'well, what do I get for it?'' What has changed 'is that they have strayed into campaigning territory – 'what will get us a seat in this discussion on this table?'' says the insider. 'The problem with HR is that it gets into social policy and doesn't focus on driving good business.' After the Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of a woman, some of the CIPD's longest-standing critics have ramped up their scrutiny of the organisation. Posting a video on LinkedIn of the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants running around in circles looking panicked, HR adviser Tanya de Grunwald wrote: 'Live scenes at the CIPD as they realise their 'trans inclusion' guidance has increased risk for their members'. Another person added: 'HR teams who have been using the CIPD guidance have a lot of work ahead of them'. The criticism centres on CIPD guidance which has since been removed, stating that it may legally be classed as discrimination to refuse a transgender person access to female-only facilities. Maya Forstater, who runs gender critical group Sex Matters, argued at the time that its 38-page transgender guide was 'not usable'. The CIPD had claimed that its guide 'makes clear that employers should listen carefully to employees and seek legal advice where necessary'. A spokesman says that its guidance is based on 'evidence and legal frameworks', adding that it is a 'politically neutral' organisation which is valued by members for its objectivity. 'Societal issues have increasingly become politicised in recent years, but these are very real issues affecting people's experience at work and business outcomes so it's right to provide evidence and guidance on them for our members and more broadly,' the spokesman says. Many people disagree. The charity's increased focus on wider political issues has irked some of its members, as well as the wider business community. One UK chairman, who did not want to be named, says they feel the organisation is going the wrong way about attempting to modernise, adding: 'They're trying to be too political, rather than thinking about where HR is going and the next generation.' Heeral Gudka, a consultant who advises companies on their diversity strategies, says this was a hot topic when she hosted roundtable discussions with HR professionals from 10 organisations before the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month. 'One of the topics covered was how the CIPD has done a poor job of preparing HR professionals for belief conflicts in the workplace,' she says. 'Particularly as so many high-profile tribunal cases regarding belief conflicts are related to gender-critical beliefs which garner a huge amount of public interest.' But it is not just its approach to this topic which has aggravated HR-land. One senior HR chief points to the charity's research on 'fat cat' executive pay in the years leading up to Covid, which triggered a public backlash against bosses earning 117 times the average worker. 'They were taking a position on executive pay. But people like myself are responsible for executive pay, so you're criticising the work I'm doing to get column inches,' the HR veteran argues, adding that the CIPD's focus on home working during Covid was another bone of contention. 'They forgot in their guidelines all the essential services that had operated throughout Covid – it was all about how to do work from home, when the largest employer in the country is the NHS. That kind of stuff is where you lose people. 'If you walked into the CIPD building I'd be surprised if there was anyone in there. They're not representing the profession – they've ended up in a marginalised view driven by their own perspectives.' Some believe the recruiters now scouting the market for a replacement for Valerie Hughes-D'Aeth, the outgoing CIPD chairman, will struggle for applicants, arguing the organisation simply feels 'out of date'. A CIPD member points out the irony in the fact it paid out £1.9m in termination and redundancy payments last year – 'not great for the profession for people management'. Senior HR staff admit that they now view the not-for-profit organisation as more of a 'student accreditation body' than a professional one, with one person declaring that 'a lot of the more senior HR community are not senior or active'. It is a view echoed by others. 'If you're a student looking to get qualified then the CIPD is important. People want those letters,' says another HR insider, although he admits he remains a member himself. 'Like lots of people I'm a member because my company pays my membership.' For the CIPD, it will be viewed as a disappointment, coming at a time when the HR industry as a whole is ballooning. The organisation's own figures show that the number of staff in the sector jumped 42pc between 2011 and 2021 – four times the growth rate of the general workforce. What's more, there are crucial issues which need tackling. Workers in Britain are worse off than they were in 2008, according to the International Labour Organisation, with the country lagging behind the rest of the rich world. The Resolution Foundation said this month that Britain had suffered an 'almost unprecedented' plunge in productivity over the past five years, the worst drop since the 1970s outside the financial crisis. With such poor productivity growth, people are asking why the industry body isn't focusing on more relevant issues – rather than worrying about 'wokeness'. A CIPD spokesman says its guidance covers the 'breadth of workplace issues' including productivity and the incoming Employment Rights Bill, adding that member satisfaction is tracked and is increasing. Yet its critics and former colleagues remain sceptical. As the former CIPD staffer asks: 'The original CIPD charter was all about improving the world of work.'
The Independent
17-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Firms planning to cut recruitment and increase redundancies
Confidence among employers has fallen amid warnings of plans to cut recruitment and increase redundancies, according to a new report. A survey of more than 2,000 employers found plans to hire new staff were being hit by impending increases to their national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said its study showed that the Government should accelerate its business support plans and skills policy. A third of businesses that expect their employment costs to increase said they plan to reduce their headcount through redundancies or recruiting fewer workers – and two in five warned they will raise prices. Peter Cheese, chief executive at the CIPD, said: 'These are the most significant downward changes in employer sentiment we've seen in the last 10 years, outside of the pandemic. Our data shows it's the everyday economy sectors, such as retail and hospitality, which employ large numbers of people, that will be particularly affected by impending increases to employment costs Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive 'Employer confidence has been impacted by planned changes to employment costs, and employment indicators are heading in the wrong direction. 'Businesses have had time to digest these impending changes, with many now planning to reduce headcount, raise prices and cut investment in workforce training. 'If the Government's plans are to succeed, it's vital they set out how they will help businesses to support growth and investment, and it's important this support is felt across the economy. 'Our data shows it's the everyday economy sectors, such as retail and hospitality, which employ large numbers of people, that will be particularly affected by impending increases to employment costs.' – A separate survey found that confidence among small businesses hit its lowest recorded point outside the Covid pandemic in the fourth quarter of last year. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said a survey of almost 1,400 smaller firms found that those in accommodation and food services were the least optimistic. Barriers to growth were said to include the domestic economy, the tax burden and labour costs. Tina McKenzie, of the FSB, said: 'The fourth quarter blues reported by small firms underline how urgently the Government's growth push is needed. 'Small firms are understandably nervous about their prospects as 2025 gets under way. 'The upcoming Employment Rights Bill is a major source of stress for small firms, with nine in 10 business owners saying they are concerned about its introduction, and this is undoubtedly a major cause of the very subdued confidence levels seen in our research. 'On the plus side, the Government's plans to reduce late payment – a perennial source of financial pain and misery to small firms – cannot come soon enough.' Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said: 'Many of the warnings being issued against the Employment Rights Bill are the same discredited ones that were voiced against the introduction of the minimum wage 25 years ago. They were wrong then and they are wrong now. 'We cannot continue with the same broken status quo. 'Britain's low pay, low rights economic model has been terrible for living standards and growth over the last 14 years. 'The Government's workers' rights plans are common sense reforms that will drive up labour market participation, improve health, raise productivity – and put more money into people's pockets. 'They are good for workers, business and the wider economy.'
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Firms planning to cut recruitment and increase redundancies
Confidence among employers has fallen amid warnings of plans to cut recruitment and increase redundancies, according to a new report. A survey of more than 2,000 employers found plans to hire new staff were being hit by impending increases to their national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said its study showed that the Government should accelerate its business support plans and skills policy. A third of businesses that expect their employment costs to increase said they plan to reduce their headcount through redundancies or recruiting fewer workers – and two in five warned they will raise prices. Peter Cheese, chief executive at the CIPD, said: 'These are the most significant downward changes in employer sentiment we've seen in the last 10 years, outside of the pandemic. 'Employer confidence has been impacted by planned changes to employment costs, and employment indicators are heading in the wrong direction. 'Businesses have had time to digest these impending changes, with many now planning to reduce headcount, raise prices and cut investment in workforce training. 'If the Government's plans are to succeed, it's vital they set out how they will help businesses to support growth and investment, and it's important this support is felt across the economy. 'Our data shows it's the everyday economy sectors, such as retail and hospitality, which employ large numbers of people, that will be particularly affected by impending increases to employment costs.' – A separate survey found that confidence among small businesses hit its lowest recorded point outside the Covid pandemic in the fourth quarter of last year. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said a survey of almost 1,400 smaller firms found that those in accommodation and food services were the least optimistic. Barriers to growth were said to include the domestic economy, the tax burden and labour costs. Tina McKenzie, of the FSB, said: 'The fourth quarter blues reported by small firms underline how urgently the Government's growth push is needed. 'Small firms are understandably nervous about their prospects as 2025 gets under way. 'The upcoming Employment Rights Bill is a major source of stress for small firms, with nine in 10 business owners saying they are concerned about its introduction, and this is undoubtedly a major cause of the very subdued confidence levels seen in our research. 'On the plus side, the Government's plans to reduce late payment – a perennial source of financial pain and misery to small firms – cannot come soon enough.' Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said: 'Many of the warnings being issued against the Employment Rights Bill are the same discredited ones that were voiced against the introduction of the minimum wage 25 years ago. They were wrong then and they are wrong now. 'We cannot continue with the same broken status quo. 'Britain's low pay, low rights economic model has been terrible for living standards and growth over the last 14 years. 'The Government's workers' rights plans are common sense reforms that will drive up labour market participation, improve health, raise productivity – and put more money into people's pockets. 'They are good for workers, business and the wider economy.'
BBC News
17-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Firms to cut jobs ahead of rise in employment costs
Companies are planning to cut jobs or recruit fewer people ahead of rises to National Insurance payments and wages, according to a survey of UK questioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) also said they would raise their prices to cover increasing employment research conducted by the Federation of Small Business found in the final three months of last year confidence among small firms hit its lowest point for 10 years, not including the Covid Treasury said it was delivering the stability businesses need to invest and grow. Rises to National Insurance Contributions by employers as well as an increase in the National Minimum Wage, announced in October's Budget, will come into force in April. According to the CIPD survey, just over a third of the 2,000 firms it spoke to said they planned to reduce their headcount through redundancies or by recruiting fewer workers. More companies, some 42%, said they would lift prices while a quarter of those surveyed said "they are cancelling or scaling down plans for investing in or expanding their business".The findings come ahead of the latest official employment figures which are due to be published on Tuesday followed by inflation data on Wednesday. Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, said these were the "most significant downward changes in employer sentiment we've seen in the last 10 years, outside of the pandemic".He added: "Our data shows it's the everyday economy sectors, such as retail and hospitality, which employ large numbers of people, that will be particularly affected by impending increases to employment costs."In November, a group of the biggest retailers in the UK warned that High Street job losses were "inevitable", prices would rise and shops would close because of tax rises in the Budget and other rising Amazon, Greggs, Next and other chains called on the Treasury to reconsider some of the said the "cumulative burden" of the Budget changes and other policies already in the pipeline would add billions in costs to a sector with a slim profit Federation of Small Business said that, in terms of confidence, it was falling across a wide range of small business index, which measures levels of confidence among firms, found that a small firms "are braced for a contraction in the size of their business in the first three months of 2025".
