Mercer’s People Risk in the UK 2024 report highlights three key topics that are having a significant impact on the risk landscape for organisations: changing legislation and scrutiny, mental health deterioration, and talent and labour shortages. The report explores the actions that businesses can take to both mitigate people risks and take advantage of the opportunities these emerging themes present.
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Sustainability
Deloitte’s latest Women @ Work Global Outlook report reveals that rising stress levels and poor mental health persist, and fewer women report feeling supported by their employers to balance work responsibilities with their commitments outside of work – a trend that is leading some women to switch employers. Although women working in a hybrid model are reporting better experiences this year compared to last, many women still face challenges related to return to office mandates and safety and non-inclusive behaviours in the workplace.
This report from Workhuman analyses data from more than 4,100 employees in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada, revealing that significant portions of the workforce report they are underpaid, undervalued, stressed and burnt out. The research reveals that even amid economic uncertainty, nearly one-quarter of respondents said they would be willing to take a pay cut to keep or obtain their preferred way of working, with this trend being higher among remote employees, LGBTQIA+ employees and caretakers. It sets out three key initiatives employers can implement to cultivate more human workplaces.
Deloitte’s latest Global Human Capital Trends report reveals that the more boundaryless work becomes, the more important uniquely human capabilities – like empathy and curiosity – become. The research underscores the need to prioritise human sustainability - the degree to which the organisation creates value for people as human beings, leaving them with greater health and well-being, stronger skills and greater employability, good jobs, opportunities for advancement, more equity, and heightened feelings of belonging and purpose – which can drive not only better human outcomes, but better business outcomes in a mutually reinforcing cycle.
PwC’s 2024 Global CEO Survey reveals that although CEOs are more optimistic about global economic growth than last year, 45% of them are still not confident that their companies would survive more than a decade on their current path. The research examines two global megatrends – climate change and technological disruption – which are compelling CEOs to adapt and outlines the essential actions that businesses can take in order to jump-start continuous reinvention.
PwC’s third green jobs barometer measures the relative performance of the UK’s transition to a greener economy and the development of green jobs across sectors, economic regions and the UK as a whole.
The report reveals that demand for green skills has remained resilient in a cooling labour market. However, the report also notes an increasing regional disparity in the growth of green jobs. It emphasises the importance of enhancing accessibility, particularly entry-level opportunities, and improving job quality as key to mitigating pervasive inequalities.
This roundtable discussion looked at the evolving relationship between employers and their people and explored emerging challenges and opportunities for employers as they take steps to link sustainability and a conscious approach to environmental issues to people strategy.
This report from the Oxford Martin School explores the remote revolution, finding a robust relationship between the increase in remote work and cities with a lower cost of living. It notes that job creation since the computer revolution of the 1980s was highly concentrated to a few supercities resulting in a marked increase in regional inequality. However, a surge in collaborative technology during the pandemic has facilitated remote work as jobs shift to secondary hubs and locations where housing and labour is cheaper. The report explores the implications of this new geography of work, including a reduction in regional inequality within countries, intensification of competition for talent around the world, and an increase in total welfare for the average worker via lower cost-of-living and less commuting.
In this report, James Davies, Employment Partner at Lewis Silkin LLP, explores the possibility that, by 2050, economies like the UK will face a labour market with too few jobs for the available workers. Rapid advances in technology are converging with other significant drivers of change to transform the world of work. Delving down into the work and occupations of today, this report considers the factors which could increase or decrease jobs in different sectors over the next quarter of a century. The impact of this transformation will depend on decisions made, and actions taken, over the next few years. This report identifies the decisions and actions which will need to be addressed and brings together insights from a variety of sources to offer a glimpse of that future.
This research from Gallup and Workhuman emphasises that to assemble and energise the workforce of the future, organisations must prioritise the “human element” of their business, recognising that productivity and efficiency come when employees are engaged, inspired, and connected to their coworkers. The report defines what workplace culture is and examines why a strong culture is vital to the success of every organisation. It highlights recognition as a pivotal tool for building culture and illustrates how a culture boosted by recognition can drive engagement and produce other tangible results.