Recession 'over' but employee engagement has plummeted
Job satisfaction has sunk to an all-time low despite figures that show the UK has come out of recession, according to research by the CIPD.
The Employee Outlook survey of more than 2,000 employees found younger people are particularly unhappy at work, with job satisfaction among 18- to 24-year-olds falling to just 5 from 44 in summer 2009. Those aged 55 to 64 are the most satisfied at work, with a score of 55, exactly the same as last summer.
The figure is the difference between the percentage of employees agreeing with statements in the survey, minus the percentage of those disagreeing.
Agency Workers Directive could cut number of temps employed
Agency worker legislation laid before Parliament will cause employers to review their staffing arrangements and could lead to a lesser reliance on agency workers, a lawyer has claimed.
The Agency Workers Directive, which gives two million temps the right to equal treatment after just 12 weeks of service, will come into force in October 2011.
Mark Hammerton, partner at law firm Eversheds, said employers may initially respond by limiting temporary contracts to less than 12 weeks. Alternatives include creating an in-house 'bank' of casual staff, or asking the existing workforce to absorb the extra work.
Calls to scrap forced retirement
HR directors have backed calls for forced retirement at 65 to be scrapped using the Equality Bill on the condition that employers receive at least one year's notice of the abolition.
HR professionals called for the removal of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) to be written into the legislation.