• The Equality and Human Rights Commission should develop a clear plan to tackle age discrimination in employment, including tackling discrimination in recruitment and the recruitment industry. • The true nature of the discrimination facing older women, older disabled people and older people from black and minority ethnic communities may not be being brought to light in case law so it is recommended that the Government commission research into the extent of this problem. • Mandatory regulations should be introduced to require all public-sector employers, and private and voluntary sector employers with more than 250 staff, to publish the age profile of their workforce. • Legislate now to ensure that all new jobs are advertised as flexible from day one, unless the employer can demonstrate an immediate and continuing business case against doing so. • The Civil Service and public services should immediately introduce a right to flexible working from day one for both new and existing roles, except where an immediate and continuing business case against doing so can be demonstrated. • Put unpaid leave for working carers on a par with that for parents, and introduce a statutory right to four weeks of unpaid carer’s leave per year. The effectiveness of unpaid carer’s leave should be monitored by collecting data on take-up and the reasons for take-up. • Introduce an additional five days of paid carer’s leave, available to all working carers regardless of employment type. • Review the services provided by the Fit for Work scheme to ensure that it is meeting the needs of small and medium employers who may not otherwise have access to professional occupational health services. • Government to work with Andy Briggs, the Business Champion for Older Workers, and Business in the Community to establish and promote a mentoring scheme for employers, supporting those who may otherwise lack the expertise or capacity to create age-friendly workplaces (SMEs). • Government to require departments to incorporate a set of agefriendly employment standards, including rights to flexible working from day one, carer’s leave and a mid-life career review, into all new policies and contracts affecting the terms and conditions of employment for public sector workers. (
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Emails when commuting should count as work time 31 August 2018
Commuters are so regularly using travel time for work emails that their journeys should be counted as part of the working day, researchers say.
BBC News has published a story about research from the University of the West of England about wider access to wi-fi on trains and the spread of mobile phones extending the working day. The study examined 5,000 rail passengers and the impact of free wi-fi being upgraded on the London to Birmingham and London to Aylesbury routes.. Findings revealed that 54% of commuters using the train's wi-fi were sending work emails. Those on the way to work were catching up with emails sent ahead of the coming day - while those on the return journey were finishing off work not completed during regular working hours. Comments from commuters included:
"I am a busy mum and I rely on that time, it's really important to my sanity that I can get work done on the train.”
"It's dead time in a way, so what it allows me to do is finish stuff and not work in the evenings.”
The report said that the findings raise questions about the work-life balance - and whether it is healthy to stretch out the working day with people routinely answering emails beyond office hours. If the journey has become part of work, should it also be recognised as part of working hours?
CIPP comment
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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