Noise in the workplace is having a negative impact on the wellbeing of employees and impacting significantly on their productivity, according to a major new survey. In a survey of 1,000 UK-based office workers, 65% reported that noise in the workplace impacted on their ability to complete work in an accurate and timely manner. Nearly half (44%) said that noise had a negative impact on their overall wellbeing, with over 40% reporting that noise at work caused them to feel stressed. The ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work 2019’ survey has been con... Continue reading

Millions of workers could eventually benefit from better retirement savings when a new type of pension scheme is introduced to the market, under pioneering proposals rubber-stamped by the Work and Pensions Secretary. Amber Rudd backed plans for the first Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) scheme in the UK after the pensions industry, insurers and other bodies welcomed the move proposed by Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU). Work and Pensions Secretary, Amber Rudd, said: “Introducing a completely new pension scheme to t... Continue reading

The government’s decision to push ahead with the extension of IR35 into the private sector will do serious harm to freelancers, the businesses that use them and the wider economy, IPSE – the association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed – has warned. IPSE commented after the government launched its consultation on the reforms on 5 March. It will be submitting evidence to the consultation warning about the dire risks of the changes to IR35. The off-payroll working rules – commonly known as IR35 – are intended to ensu... Continue reading

Workplace Law, the employee relations division of International Workplace, has issued a white paper on the employment law aspects of outsourcing, in the wake of a high-profile judgment this week that will give some comfort to employers in the facilities management sector. The white paper – Joint employer status: implications for outsourcing in the FM sector – is the first in a series of publications focusing on employee relations, published by Workplace Law in association with the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) UK ch... Continue reading

In a long-standing case involving outsourced workers, the High Court has rejected the argument that outsourced workers should be entitled to negotiate over pay rates and job terms with both their employer and the employer's client. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) had sought a judicial review of a decision by the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) to not hear an application for trade union recognition for the purposes of collective bargaining with the University of London. This has been rejected by the High Court by Mr J... Continue reading