HR news round-up: From childcare deserts to flex for older workers

Report highlights impact of childcare deserts

Almost a third of people in England live in a ‘childcare desert’, meaning they have reduced access to childcare, according to a new report, which says the more disadvantaged neighbourhoods are most affected by market-based systems where providers set fees and families are required to navigate often complex price and subsidy mechanisms to access childcare.

The report, International childcare: Mapping the deserts by Australia’s Victoria University, says that, of the nine regions across England, the North West, London and the South East rank best for accessibility, with the smallest number of people living in a childcare desert. Meanwhile, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and The Humber and the North East have the greatest number of people living in a childcare desert, which means they have poor access to childcare.

The report says the lack of available places in disadvantaged areas means not all families can ‘choose’ to access childcare, despite the notion of ‘choice’ being central to many childcare policies. The fewer available childcare places in lower socioeconomic areas often means that families are forced into making more difficult decisions such as staying home instead of returning to work or travelling long distances to obtain care.

Read more here.

Union wins Tesco ‘fire and rehire’ battle

Trade union Usdaw has won a Supreme Court case against supermarket giant Tesco over so-called proposals to ‘fire and rehire’ workers on less favourable terms.

This was the final stage of a long-running legal battle in England and a similar case involving workers at the Livingston site has been stayed in the Scottish courts.

Usdaw took legal action over the supermarket chain’s proposals to fire staff at Daventry and Lichfield distribution centres and rehire them on lower pay in 2021. After the High Court ruled in the union’s favour in 2022, Tesco successfully appealed against the decision the same year. The union then took the case to the country’s highest court, with five Supreme Court justices ruling unanimously that Tesco should be blocked from dismissing the staff.

Over two-thirds of employees are stressed by work

Work is the third largest source of stress for UK employees, following lack of sleep and financial worries, according to a study by Ciphr.

The survey of 1,238 employees revealed that 70% said work-related factors were a cause of stress, with 37% citing work in general as a major contributor.

Other significant stressors include workload pressures (35%), long or inflexible hours (23%), and concerns about job security (17%). Two in five (42%) of all employees below senior management level find work in general stressful, while just one in four (25%) senior managers and leaders say the same.

The findings indicate that stress levels vary across industries, with hospitality and events workers experiencing the highest stress, averaging 15.6 days a month where they experience stress.

UK workers missed out on £2bn in holiday pay last year says TUC

Workers across the UK are being “cheated” out £2 billion worth of holiday pay, according to a new report published by the TUC.

UK workers are legally entitled to 28 days paid leave for a typical five-day week, with pro-rata entitlement for those who work fewer than five days.

But research by the union body shows that 1.1 million employees (1 in 25 employees) did not get a single one of the 28 days’ paid holiday, or equivalent, they were entitled to last year.

TUC analysis shows these missing weeks add up to £2 billion in lost holiday pay – or on average £1,800 per affected employee, with BME workers and the low-paid being the hardest hit.

The TUC says the main reasons people are missing out on paid holiday are: Workplace cultures where workers fear that requesting paid time off could lead to being treated unfavourably; workers being set unrealistic workloads that do not allow time to take leave; employers deliberately denying holiday requests and managing out people’s leave; and employers not keeping up to date with the law.

The TUC report supports the new Labour government’s pledge to introduce a Fair Work Agency to strengthen enforcement of employment rights.

Manager wins £350,000 from firm in pregnancy row

A former account manager at Mitie has had her damages payout increased to over £350,000 after the company was found guilty of pregnancy discrimination.

Initially awarded £37,000, the tribunal ruled that Nicola Hinds’ concerns about her workload were dismissed as “hormonal”.

Judge Roger Tynan noted that Hinds experienced “suicidal ideation” due to the treatment she received upon returning to work after maternity leave. Hinds, who represented herself, condemned Mitie’s “wholly despicable treatment” and highlighted the company’s failure to uphold its commitment against maternity discrimination.

Meanwhile, the NASUWT teaching union has called for action on the issue of paid leave for workers who experience miscarriages at the TUC Congress in Brighton, urging the government to legislate for paid time off and address the lack of statutory entitlement for those who miscarry before the 24-week mark.

Most employers say their DC pension provision is not enough for retirement

Only a quarter of UK employers think the defined contribution (DC) pension provision they offer employees will enable them to have a comfortable retirement, according to a survey by WTW.

WTW’s annual Defined Contribution Pensions & Savings report shows that DC pensions adequacy is something that is of increasing concern to employers. The majority (82%) say they want to do more with their DC plan than just meet compliance or be similar to other employers.

Furthermore, half (51%) of UK employers surveyed want to specifically address retirement adequacy in the next two years. In order to do this, half of employers are now monitoring retirement adequacy as part of their plan design, up from a third in 2015.

Unemployment and pay growth fall

Official figures show that unemployment in the UK dipped to 4.1% in the three months to July, from 4.2% a month earlier.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data also shows that the British economy added 265,000 jobs in the three months to July, while vacancies were down to 857,000. Pay growth including bonuses fell from 4.5% to 4%, while regular pay growth has dropped to 5.1% from 5.4%. The number of payrolled workers fell by 59,000 between July and August, dipping to 30.3m.

Unpaid carers dropping out of work

Two million unpaid carers are living in poverty, and 400,000 live in deep poverty in the UK, according to a new report, with difficulties staying in work one of the key reasons.

The report by WPI Economics says nearly one in 10 unpaid carers live in deep poverty and that the poverty rate for unpaid carers was 50% higher than for those who did not provide care (27% vs 18%).

An inability to participate in paid work, caring for long hours, and receiving income-related benefits are the strongest predictors of poverty amongst unpaid carers.

Read more here.

Older workers less likely to be asked about flex working

Fewer than half (44%) of UK workers say that their manager has discussed flexible working arrangements with them,  with 55+ workers much less likely to say this, according to a new survey.

The research by Phoenix Insights – the think tank of insurance company Phoenix Group – is based on a survey of 1,200 UK workers. It found the figure has risen slightly from February, before the statutory right to request flexible working from day one in a job came into force, when 39% of workers said their manager had discussed flexible working with them.

Over 55s were the least likely age group to say their manager has discussed flexible working with them prior to the introduction of the legal right to request it (26%), and this has not risen subsequently (24%). By contrast, over half (54%) of 18-34-year-olds said their manager had discussed flexible working with them as of August 2024, as did 46% of 35-54-year-olds. This is in spite of the fact that Phoenix Insights’ research has previously found that options for flexible working become more important to employees with age, with 73% of over 55s prioritising flexible working hours in their job, compared to just 57% of 18-34-year-olds and 60% of 35-54-year-olds.

Read more here.

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