Warning – there are two working Britains and the gulf between them is growing

A new report from the social enterprise Timewise finds there is a widening gap in the UK workforce, between people working in frontline roles such as nurses, cleaners and bus drivers – and office-based staff -when it comes to having autonomy over working hours. One that could be closed by government’s landmark employment legislation – but only if more action is taken to put reforms into practice. Timewise is calling for three new ways in which the UK government can help support employers to implement the legislation, in a move backed by frontline bosses.

The report states that frontline workers are missing out on the autonomy, work-life balance, dignity and control, that predictable and secure working patterns offer. While 19 per cent of people in higher level managerial and professional positions have access to flexible working hours, just 4 per cent of people in routine occupations enjoy the same. And while return-to-office mandates are troubling many office-based employees, 40 per cent of workers in the UK need to be onsite in their place of work – and therefore cannot work from home or take advantage of hybrid working to better manage the demands of life and work.

Recently published research for the Healthier Working Lives Commission shows that having a degree of control over work positively impacts on health and leads to improvements in mental wellbeing. While having low or no control at work, is a strong predictor of poorer mental and physical health.

Government and industry joint action needed- and business leaders are calling for change:

The government has promised its new Employment Rights Bill will upgrade workers’ rights across the UK, delivering up to £600 income savings for each worker, per year, in the lowest paid, insecure jobs. The predicted wellbeing and health benefits for workers are estimated to accrue of at least £3 billion a year with ‘large economic benefits’ if flexible working is made the default for all.

Industry leaders representing a new coalition of employers, unions and sector bodies established by Timewise are calling for immediate action to tackle these barriers and the resulting inequity for workers. They represent frontline workforces employing almost nine million people between them and are backing Timewise’s call for:

1. The Department for Business and Trade to set up new industrial forums bringing together employers, sector bodies and unions, to resolve sector-specific challenges, with the transport & logistics and construction sectors as first priorities for this.
2. A new Modern Working Lives Taskforce to be established and charged with ensuring that the government’s Employment Rights Bill is successfully implemented in low-paying sectors, to narrow the widening gap in the two-tier workforce.
3. Government to provide support for the development of industry-wide sector-specific guidance and best practice models across all low-paying industries.

Clare McNeil, Director at Timewise says: “The government’s new employment legislation is a huge opportunity to close this widening gap, but only if the government’s proposals are put into practice. We are calling for new sector-wide partnerships between industry and government to accelerate the pace of change in the workplace and overcome the barriers frontline sectors face.”