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Apprentice recruitment
up, but skilled electricians
still in short supply
A lack of skilled electrical
personnel is hurting
electrotechnical contracting
businesses, according to the
latest Building Engineering
Business Survey. As a result,
businesses seem to be hiring
more apprentices than ever.
Just under half (47 per
cent) of respondents to
the quarterly survey, which
includes data from industry trade bodies ECA, BESA, SELECT
and SNIPEF, said that “attracting the right calibre of people to
the business” was their biggest worry. Forty-one per cent said
their top concern this quarter was to “retain existing sta ”.
However, apprentice employment rates show signs of
improvement, with 61 per cent of respondents saying they
expect to employ the same number or more apprentices in
Q1 2022 than in Q4 2021.
Acas publishes new
bereavement advice
Acas has published new advice to help employers handle
staœ bereavement at work and understand an employee’s
legal right to time oœ .
Acas Chief Executive, Susan Clews, said: “The death of a
loved one is a devastating and life changing experience for
any employee. It can impact someone at work immediately
as well as long-term.
“We also cannot ignore the eœ ect that the COVID-19
pandemic has had on staœ who have been unable to grieve
in the usual way. Some people could not be with loved
ones when they died or were not able to give them a proper
send-oœ .
“Our new bereavement advice can help employers handle
these diœ icult situations in a supportive, compassionate and
practical way as well as understanding the law in this area.”
www.acas.org.uk/time-o -for-bereavement
Four-day working week critical to
post-pandemic economic growth
Businesses can fuel their
customer satisfaction
post-pandemic growth by
ratings based on service
implementing a four-day
quality and delivery
week working model,
have increased to an
according to the experience
unprecedented 100 per cent,
of one technology
whilst worker productivity
consultancy.
has risen by a fiª h (20 per
THRYVE, an emerging
cent).
and critical technology
John Lennon, MD at
recruitment business
THRYVE, commented: “The
has reported a 31.9 per
concept of the four-day
cent boost in sales since
working week is nothing
introducing a shorter
new. Over the last three
working week in 2021.
years, the number of
At the same time,
recruitment adverts that
mention it have tripled, yet
they still only represent less
than one per cent of all job
postings.
“This suggests to me
that beyond the hype of
implementing a shorter
worker week, the appetite
for changing traditional
working practices remains
low. The reason for this, I
believe, is a lack of publicly
available evidence to
support the business case
for its introduction.”
ESG moves up agenda as UK employers see
signifi cant changes in employee expectations
The majority (93 per cent) of employers believe
employees’ expectations at work are changing,
with the largest shi s being around employer
purpose as well as employee mental health,
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
issues and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
According to Aon’s UK Benefits and Trends
Survey 2022, there has been a 44-percentage
point increase in the number of employers
that recognise their employees expect better
awareness and handling of mental health - rising from 38 per cent to 82 per cent in the
last year.
There are also higher expectations around employer actions when it comes to ESG
and DEI issues. Seventy-seven per cent of employers think employees expect better
approaches to DEI, up from 70 per cent last year. Six in 10 employers (60 per cent) think
employees expect more emphasis on environmental and sustainability policies or
benefits, up from 51 per cent in 2021.
Colin Barnes, Head of Advisory and Specialities, Aon, said: “The results of this year’s
survey show the rapid rise in the importance of wellbeing, inclusivity and sustainability.
What an employer stands for - the purpose and brand - is incredibly important,
particularly in this labour market where people are choosing their roles carefully.
Employees and candidates are generally seeking an employer that provides purpose,
o— ers diversity, equity and inclusion and shows genuine care for its impact on the
planet, the community in which it operates and the people that it employs.”
AI and tech-driven workplace
surveillance is increasing
Intrusive worker surveillance tech and AI risks “spiralling
out of control” without stronger regulation to protect
workers, the TUC has warned.
Le unchecked, the union body says that these
technologies could lead to widespread discrimination,
work intensification and unfair treatment.
The warning comes as the TUC publishes new polling,
conducted by Britain Thinks, which reveals an
overwhelming majority of workers (60 per cent) believe
they have been subject to some form of surveillance and
monitoring at their current or most recent job.
58 MARCH 2022
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