A third of respondent organisations (34 percent) to a CIPD poll think the four-day week will become a reality in the UK for most workers within the next ten years. However, only a small minority of firms have moved towards the four-day week to date by reducing hours without reducing pay for their employees, or plan to do this over the next three years. One in ten (10 percent) organisations report they have reduced working hours without reducing pay for the whole or a significant part of their workforce over the last five years, although of these, under half of employers (42 percent) did so as a result of the furlough scheme. (more…)

As businesses across the country face rising costs, new research from the CIPD and Omni warns that using pay to attract talent simply isn’t enough to tackle on-going skills shortages. While an increasing number of organisations (54 percent) are inflating pay to retain talent, this approach is not sustainable for most employers in the face of rising costs. To tackle the skills shortage, organisations need to highlight other components of good working practices when recruiting, such as offering flexible working and promoting career development opportunities. For instance, the latest Resourcing and Talent Planning survey shows that 68 percent of employers that offer hybrid/ remote working say it has allowed their organisation to attract and retain more talent.  (more…)

According to a new poll from Breathe HR, a large majority of younger workers now prioritise working culture in their job searches. The study of around 1,300 people claims that workers aged 18-34 are more likely to consider company culture (86 percent) when applying for jobs, compared to those working aged 55 and over (66 percent). In addition, 81 percent of 18–34-year-olds are more likely to ask about company culture in an interview than over 55-year-olds (57 percent) and four-fifths of UK workers say they would not apply for a role that had “unrealistic expectations”. (more…)