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Employers are being urged to step up their mental health support for employees during the Covid-19 crisis lockdown.

Research from People Management shows that managers lack confidence in this area and are finding that staff anxiety about Covid-19 is HR’s biggest challenge.

The CIPD and Simplyhealth has released figures showing that the majority of managers were falling short on this even before the crisis began and they are stating that immediate action is required if employees are to avoid being at risk from poor mental health both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Between October and mid-November, a poll of 1,018 HR professionals across the UK was conducted. It found that 25 per cent of HR professionals were of the opinion that managers were able to recognise the early warning signs of mental ill- health, but only 31 per cent thought that managers were confident enough to deal with these problems in a sensitive manner. This figure of 31 per cent is not specifically related to the coronavirus, as that figure has remained at this level for the past four years.

The CIPD, Simplyhealth Health and Well-being Survey at Work 2020 report stated that concern over job security and income loss, added to fear of infection and feelings of isolation is likely to increase the anxiety, pressure and stress that is affecting many people.

Rachel Suff, Advisor - ER & Diversity (Europe) for CIPD, stated:

“With so many people working at home, it can be even harder for managers to pick up on cues that their colleagues might be struggling. It’s really important that managers are regularly checking in with their team and making use of video calls, so interactions can be as personal as possible.”

She added:

“Employers also need to remember that their duty of care for people’s health and safety carries on no matter where staff are based. These findings show that whilst more managers are being trained to help colleagues with their mental health, it doesn’t always seem to be translating into better support for staff.”

Respondents to the survey were also asked about their biggest challenges in relation to staff working remotely and 70 per cent cited ensuring employees’ physical and mental wellbeing.

Richard Gillies - Chief Operating Officer at Simplyhealth - remarked:

“Organisations who have already adopted a proactive approach to supporting their employees’ wellbeing will be well positioned during the coronavirus crisis. By making good use of initiatives like employee assistance programmes that offer counselling and 24/7 remote access to a GP, employees will benefit from additional support for their health at such a difficult time.”

When businesses were asked about their methods for checking how staff were feeling about new working arrangements - and the coronavirus situation generally - 66 per cent reported that they relied on line manager feedback; 56 per cent direct employee feedback and only 9 per cent had utilised staff surveys.

Stephen Bevan - head of HR research development at the Institute of Employment Studies - said that the move to remote working made it harder for HR and managers to pick up on the fact that their colleagues might be struggling.

He stated:

“The fact that people are so distant means that even the most empathetic manager can't really spot signs of staff’s behaviour, disposition or even physical signs of people being in trouble of some kind.”

He added that employers could support employees, trust them to do their jobs and offer the flexibility for staff to work around other responsibilities such as childcare – saying:

“In the current circumstances, I think there are some lessons in getting people to psychologically segment their day where logistically possible, to communicate that to people and be trusted by their employer and to offer the flexibility for staff to work around other responsibilities such as childcare.  There’s nothing worse than people thinking they have to be sending emails at 6pm just to show that they’re active online, otherwise people will think they’ve skived off early.” 

Mercer - an American human resources consulting firm - state that despite business organizations’ progress and good intentions, gender equality in the workforce is still a long way off.

A recent survey released at the beginning of March - Mercer’s ‘When Women Thrive 2020 Global Report’ - shows that 81 per cent of companies worldwide said that diversity and inclusion is important, but only 42 per cent have actually made a plan for reaching gender equality. 

Mercer surveyed senior HR and business leaders from more than 1,150 companies in 54 countries. This represented over 7 million employees worldwide and took in issues that included gender equity; accountability; leadership engagement and pay equity.

It found an improvement in that the rates for hiring, promoting and retaining women are now comparable to rates for men. The global workforce - up slightly from 38 per cent - includes 40 per cent of women, who make up 47 per cent of support staff and 42 per cent of professional level positions; senior staff and executives make up 29 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

Martine Ferland - President and Chief Executive Officer of Mercer - stated:

“Gender equality has evolved into a global imperative, and organizations are taking actions to make a difference. However, as women continue to face challenges of unequal senior level representation and limited opportunities for career development and advancement across industries and geographies, there is still much work to do to achieve gender balance.”

But there is optimism showing progress as - according to Mercer’s research - rates for hiring, promoting and retaining women are now comparable to rates for men. This is an improvement from four years ago.

The research found that 72 per cent of organizations have teams dedicated to conducting pay equity analysis - a rise up from a previous 45 per cent. A robust statistical approach to conduct their pay equity analysis was used by 56 per cent, a rise up from 35 per cent. Mercer’s research also showed that 66 per cent of organizations report that senior executives are actively engaged in diversity and inclusion initiatives and programs - which is again a rise up, from 57 per cent in 2016.

Michelle Sequeira - Diversity and Inclusion expert at Mercer - stated:

“For the first time since the launch of our ‘When Women Thrive’ study, six years ago, we’re starting to see significant progress around female representation in business. However, unless the pace of change accelerates it will take us over 30 years to achieve full gender representation in the workplace. To enact real change businesses need to focus on inclusion as a whole and turn commitments to sustainable action. This includes prioritizing initiatives that build an end-to-end employee experience which is adaptable for all, fostering a culture of caring for diverse health and financial needs, and underpinning with policies and practices that embrace flexibility and a personalized work environment.”

Between 13 and 17 March 2020, employee engagement survey experts, Impulse, reported that 61 per cent of employees feel anxious, distracted or stressed as a result of the disruption that the coronavirus pandemic has caused. 

The main reason for their stress, according to the research, was job security.

Of the negative and positive emotions that employees could choose from, only 7 per cent selected ‘focused’ and 14 per cent ‘committed’ as top emotions.  In previous surveys undertaken by Impulse ‘committed’ had represented 21 per cent of all emotions, thus showing up a 7 per cent decrease since the coronavirus pandemic. 

Furthermore, previously ‘anxious’ and ‘stressed’ both represented 5 per cent and ‘distracted’ less than 1 per cent – but these emotions have become dominant with ‘anxious’ being 28 per cent, ‘distracted’ 22 per cent and ‘stressed’ 11 per cent.

The employees surveyed said that coronavirus has had an impact on company priorities - with 51 per cent saying it’s had a major impact; 32 per cent saying a minor impact and 9 per cent not knowing what the impact was.  In addition, 74 per cent of respondents said that events had been cancelled; 67 per cent had face-to-face meetings reduced and 56 per cent had been required to work from home.

Matt Stephens - CEO of Inpulse - said:

“We have never seen these levels of anxiety and stress in ‘normal’ times. It is unprecedented and shows the impact COVID-19 has had on employees’ wellbeing. We typically see high levels of commitment and enthusiasm around employee jobs and their organisations. Sadly, people are now consumed by the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic – and it’s massively impacting their work. This is a catastrophic shift in the emotional landscape of the workplace and it’s only happened in a matter of days. Through the survey, they’ve told us they are anxious about job security. One said, enlighteningly, that they are stressed about having to choose between being committed to their work or being safe. On top of this some are consumed by their concerns, media updates and Government announcements. Others are concerned by poor communications from their employer. It’s now possible for employers to pulse check employees’ emotional wellbeing so they track, measure and help any that are feeling emotional distress through these difficult days. Now is the time for businesses to act and show that they care, which they seem to be doing – we’ve been inundated by requests to understand this.” 

Leaders have suddenly had to manage remote teams of staff as a result of the pandemic and in addition, they are anxious and overwhelmed themselves whilst being expected to motivate workers who are feeling exactly the same.

Experts from around Europe share their thoughts. 

Katleen De Stobbeleir - professor of leadership at Vlerick Business School in Belgium - said:

“My top tip for leaders today would be to learn from how nurses and doctors deal with emergency situations, with unpredictable outcomes, and especially how they alleviate fear and anxiety.  Fear and anxiety can drive people to become self-focused, paralysing them so that they are prevented from continuing to work productively.”

She added:

“It’s not necessarily about being a reassuring voice or about asking questions that probe into the feelings of followers, since this may actually feed the anxiety. It’s about giving clear directions and next steps so that people have focus and something to hold on to.” 

Tessa Melkonian - professor of organisational behaviour and management at Emlyon Business School in France - stated:

“Being an example has always been a major feature of leadership, but now, in a period of utmost uncertainty, people need – more than ever – to find an example in their managers and leaders.” 

She went on to say that being an example in this crisis means being able to adopt new work behaviours and boost morale amid the turmoil – adding:

“When they do this, managers and leaders not only offer a direction for their team members to follow, they also increase their change self-efficacy – their perceived ability to adopt new behaviors and to maintain them over time. When they see their leader adopting new behaviours, they may conclude that it may be in their best interests to act likewise.”

ThriveMap - pre-hire assessment specialists - recently researched the amount of time hiring managers are taking to decide about job candidates.

The average length of a job interview was found to last 45 minutes and 25 per cent of those questioned admitted that they take just five minutes or less to decide on whether the candidate sat in front of them is suitable for the job. These figures show that around 90 per cent - or even more of that time - may be wasted.

A further 36 per cent of respondents said that they know within 6 to 10 minutes of the start of the interview whether someone is right for the role, with only 9 per cent saying that it took them longer than 30 minutes to make up their minds.

Only 2 per cent of those doing the hiring state that they do not come to a decision during the interview - meaning that only a very small percentage take into consideration everything that a candidate has to say before making up their mind.  It would appear that gut feeling is having a huge part to play in recruitment - with many hiring managers making snap judgements. 

Chris Platts - CEO of ThriveMap - said:

“This research indicates that hiring managers let unconscious bias play a major role in the recruitment process. If almost two thirds of managers are making up their mind in under 10 minutes what’s the point in having a structured and thorough interview process?  Organisations need to put measures in place such as interview training and technology to help managers make more rational choices. Pre-hire assessments that provide objective candidate comparisons can help managers to delay their intuition and hire based on suitability, not unconscious likeability or similarity. Not only is this fairer for candidates, it’s proven to lead to better hiring outcomes.”

A further new study published in the Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology questioned 166 interviewers - before and after they interviewed 691 students at a career fair. They queried how long it took the interviewer to come to a conclusion about hiring the candidates and found that more experienced interviewers made their decisions faster than people who were newer to hiring.

The researchers established that roughly 5 per cent of decisions were made within the first minute of the interview and under 30 per cent within five minutes. The majority - 52 per cent of the interviewers - made their hiring decision between five and fifteen minutes of the interview - and it was found that the candidates who engaged the interviewer in conversation unrelated to the structured interview, were given greater consideration than those who did not - with the report stating:

“Thus, when preparing for interviews, applicants should practice responses to common ‘conversation starters’ that often emerge during rapport building.”

It was stated that after the fourth candidate, the amount of information the interviewers are trying to sort becomes overwhelming and they revert to making snap decisions based on gut feeling - causing the researchers to warn:

“Applicants interviewing later in the schedule might not get as much opportunity to perform as those earlier in the schedule.”

It would appear that if an interview lasts for less than 30 minutes it was probably not that successful, as if the employer has made the snap decision not to hire they do not need to spend much time getting to know the applicant.

New research suggests that the number of young workers leaving London is increasing – partly because they feel that they have no opportunity to purchase a home in the capital.

The survey of 2,000 Londoners together with analysis of data obtained by the Office for National Statistics, was undertaken by job board Totaljobs with Geraint Johnes – Professor of Economics at Lancaster University. 

It was found that 54% - more than one million professionals - have left London since 2014, with only 900,000 coming in.  The biggest shortfall relates to workers aged between 25 and 34 years and amounts to a net loss of 88 workers every day.  In the last five years there has been a 49% increase in those in their 30s leaving the capital, with 30% citing the city’s high living costs as a factor.  More than a third of those aged 25-34 years surveyed by Totaljobs stated that they are now intending to leave the capital earlier than they initially planned.

Whilst one in five millennials are leaving in order to get their foot on the property ladder, one in four are leaving to start a family; 14% are looking for better schools; 12% wish to spend more time with their children; 23% want a slower pace of life and 16% are concerned about the crime rate in London.

Geraint Johnes said:

“This analysis has revealed a large increase in net migration out of London among those in their 30s and suggests that this trend is likely to accelerate into the future with 41% of 25-34 year olds looking to move out of the capital in the next six years. Reducing the cost of living is a major factor, while being able to afford to buy property and raise a family are major considerations in prompting a move.  Unless a slowing housing market puts a brake on this trend, it’s likely to have important consequences for business. As young people add years of work experience to the stock of skills with which they came into the labour market, they become increasingly productive and climb the ladder, but as they leave, London businesses may find it harder to retain experienced staff and recruit into the more senior managerial roles.”

The Office for National Statistics data reveals a steep rise in the number of workers moving to Birmingham - at the top of the list - followed by Bristol and Manchester. 

Many millennials say they want to be closer to their family and friends by returning to their hometown, whilst 29% state that job opportunities will be the deciding factor in where they end up.

Of the workers aged 25-34 years, 53% have already begun looking for jobs out of London and 42% of all Londoner’s think they will relocate within the decade - which would impact heavily on employers.    

Jon Wilson - CEO at Totaljobs - said:

“Our research shows the challenge London’s employers face in holding onto some of their staff, and with widely reported skills shortages, it’s vital that they do so. While some factors may be out of their control, businesses focused on retaining talent can consider how they can encourage movers to settle within a commutable distance – be it through offering season ticket loans, more flexible working hours or the opportunity to work remotely.”

FTSE 350 pension deficits have increased again as global stock markets fall and trustees have been urged to plan early and to be alert, as the outbreak of coronavirus is expected to impact UK economy.

According to Mercer’s Pensions Risk Survey, the accounting deficit of defined benefit pension schemes for UK’s 350 largest listed companies increased from £57bn at the end of January 2020 to £68bn at the end of February.

The liability values fell to £914bn compared to £916bn at the end of January – a difference of £2bn.

Asset values were £859bn at the end of January – but have fallen by £13bn – and are now £846bn.  The deficit was as high as £80bn as liability values have fluctuated over the month.

Mercer’s Pensions Risk Survey data relates to about 50% of all UK pension scheme liabilities and analyses pension deficits calculated using the approach companies have to adopt for their corporate accounts.

Charles Cowling - Partner at Mercer - said:

“Funding positions have declined this month as the impact of the coronavirus has sent shock waves through global markets. The outbreak is causing major disruption to international trade and supply chains, particularly in China, with the impact quickly spreading across Europe. The UK economy is expected to be hit imminently – giving the Chancellor of the Exchequer a tough first Budget in a few weeks.  The outbreak will also have an unwelcome impact on interest rates. The outgoing governor of the Bank of England said last week that a slowdown in our economy caused by coronavirus must raise the likelihood of a cut in interest rates. Some industries are already being hit hard by coronavirus and for many companies it is going to have a significant impact on financial results. Trustees must be alert to the impact that coronavirus is having on the strength of many sponsoring employers.”   

He added:

“To add to these challenging conditions the Continuous Mortality Investigation has announced that last year saw the highest reduction in mortality rates since 2011. It is too early to tell whether this is a blip or a new trend, and how it might be affected by coronavirus, but it is likely to put pressure on pension liabilities. With asset values falling and pension liabilities increasing, 2020 may be a difficult year for actuarial valuations and trustees would be well advised to start their planning early.”

A new report published by the leading skills organisation, City & Guilds Group, shows the worrying reality of the UK’s skills and productivity crisis.

The research - which was based on findings from labour market economists, Emsi and a poll of 500 working age people - shows that 34 per cent of employees have either never received training, or did so more than five years ago.  Only a half of employees were found to have received any workplace training in the last three years.  Also, 60 per cent of respondents felt that their employers were not fully capitalising on the skills that they had - with those skills being under utilised for at least 50 per cent of the time.

City & Guilds Group’s research found that:

  • 44 per cent from lower socio-economic groups were much less likely to have received training in the last five years – against 68 per cent from higher socio-economic groups.
  • 22 per cent from lower socio-economic groups were less satisfied with their career prospects – against 39 per cent of those from higher socio-economic groups.
  • Respondents from the north of England were found to be disadvantaged with regard to training and opportunities for progression. Only 21 per cent of people in the north east of England felt positive about the jobs market – compared to 45 per cent in London.
  • Significantly more women than men were working part-time with 61 per cent of the part-timers less likely to have received training in the last five years - compared to 72 per cent of those working full-time. In addition, 22 per cent of the part-time workers were far less likely to believe there was opportunity to progress – compared with 36 per cent of full-time workers.
  • 77 per cent of those who had received workplace training highly valued it, stating that it had enabled them to be more effective at their job.

Kirstie Donnelly - Interim CEO at City & Guilds Group - commented:

“Today we are fortunate that unemployment sits at its lowest level since 1975, but this masks the fact that many people in the country are in fact under-employed and could contribute far more to society if given the opportunity. By unlocking more people’s full potential, we can both increase opportunities for social mobility and help to drive up productivity. Over the last decade, we have witnessed continued cuts to adult education funding, which has meant that certain groups of people have effectively been ‘left behind’. As the impact of Artificial Intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution continues to totally reshape the labour market, we need to see urgent action from the Government to reverse the decline of the lifelong learning sector – ensuring people in all areas have access to critical skills development and employers have access to the talent they so desperately need.” 

She added:

“From better provision of training and education across regions of the UK to better access to childcare giving more part-time workers the chance to up-skill, we need to see immediate action from government and policy makers. We are already lagging behind the other G7 countries when it comes to productivity so it’s critical that we address this challenge head on if we are to retain our status as a leading global economy post Brexit. Harnessing the full potential of the people that are already in work – and are yearning to learn – would be a significant step in the right direction.”

As a result of the findings in the report, City & Guilds Group is calling for government and policy makers, employers and individuals to take action - with employers investing in skills development for people of all ages and at all levels of their career - and to get better at recognising and utilising people’s skills. Employees should also be looking for more opportunities to gain skills outside the workplace and put themselves forward for training at work. Government and policy makers are urged to review adult education and create a system that encourages lifelong learning, retraining and re-skilling, in addition to providing better careers guidance and advice to people at all stages of their career.

Andy Durman - Managing Director Emsi UK - stated:

“This report emphasises two crucial factors to enable us to tap into the nation’s skills potential and make progress on closing the skills gap and boosting productivity. Firstly, because there are big differences in labour markets across the country, solutions must be locally relevant and based on a good understanding of employment needs at the local level. Secondly, because people are changing careers more rapidly than ever, and careers themselves are changing due to factors such as automation, we need to see education providers, economic developers and employers all coming together to promote the concept of lifelong learning, where people can add to their core skills throughout their working lives.”

Anthony Impey MBE - Serial entrepreneur & Chair of the Skills Policy Unit, Federation of Small Businesses - stated:

“As this research highlights, in society many people’s skills are under-utilised. There are no quick fixes but there are things that employers can do such as looking in new places to find talent, as seemingly different jobs require many of the same skills, as well as embedding flexible working practices and make training available to people at all ages and stages of their careers.”

After surveying 20,000 employees and leaders across the world - including almost 2,000 from the UK - the O.C. Tanner Institute’s 2020 Global Culture Report found that a mere 42 per cent of UK employees rate their overall employee experience positively - with  92 per cent of employees describing their employee experience as their ‘everyday experience’.

When employees think of their employee experience they are thinking of their personal experiences which include appreciation received - or not received; how they are treated by their leaders; how easy or difficult it is to get resources, answers and information - and not the once-or-twice-a year HR initiative.  The report showed that the majority of UK workers feel unappreciated. 

Robert Ordever - Managing Director of workplace culture specialist, O.C Tanner Europe, stated:

“The majority of UK employees are feeling unappreciated and neglected. Clearly not enough is being done to create workplace cultures that put the health and happiness of employees first.

In fact, just over half of UK employees - 53 per cent - believe the employee experience is taken seriously at their organisations, leaving 47 per cent who feel their organisations regard it as an afterthought.  It seems that customers are taking precedent over employees in nearly half of UK organisations, with 48 per cent admitting that their organisations are sacrificing the employee experience to please the customer.”

He added:

“Many companies are still viewing employees as a means of production and profit but this must change.  With 92 per cent of employees describing their employee experience as their everyday experience, leaders need to prioritise by building a vibrant workplace culture with frequent and impactful employee ‘micro experiences’ rather than big gestures of appreciation a few times a year.”

When employees are not in a thriving culture only 43 per cent say they found satisfaction and - despite company efforts - only 66 per cent of employees feel the employee experience matters at their organisation.   However, in a thriving culture, 87 per cent report finding satisfaction.

A recent survey was conducted by Soapbox - a London-based creative communications agency - of 200+ managers from across over 30 industries and with collectively over 1280 years of management experience. The survey was to learn how they conduct one-on-one meetings with their teams. 

Of the managers surveyed, 94 per cent stated that they carried out one-on-ones and of the remaining 6 per cent, most stated that the reason they did not do so was lack of time.

Nearly half the managers who held one-on-one meetings reported that the agenda is a shared responsibility with the team members. Only 23 per cent discuss alignment to company mission, but 75 per cent reported discussing growth and development.

About one in two managers have one-on-one meetings on a weekly basis - helping to build rapport, trust and continuous feedback with the employees.

When questioned about the goal of one-on-one meetings, 70 per cent state it is to understand and eliminate roadblocks; 61 per cent stated it is to ensure employees are engaged and happy - and 53 per cent is to enquire how specific projects are coming along.

An overwhelming 68 per cent of managers said that juggling their responsibilities - along with managing a team - is their biggest challenge as a people leader. The next challenge specified was hitting team goals - referred to by 14 per cent of managers. This was followed by over 10 per cent stating that getting their team to collaborate with one another was a test and 4 per cent cited retaining employees.

Brennan McEachran - CEO and Co-Founder - SoapBox, said:

“Most managers start their people leadership journeys with zero training, zero coaching, zero tools and zero experience. They're left to their own devices to figure out an entirely new set of skills: leading others. After 10 years in the management space, we’ve learned that the biggest opportunity a manager has to impact the performance and engagement of an employee is during one-on-one meetings. We've also learned that for many managers, this time is often disorganized and unproductive. But how can we help a group of under-serviced super-powerful people in today's workplace level-up their one-on-ones? “

He added:

“We believe the findings in this report are extremely important for new and existing managers looking to find their groove. We’re aiming to understand the state of management through the one-on-one lens and hope that as a result, managers reading this can build on the patterns that have proven successful for others."

A decision has been made by a Manchester Employment Tribunal that to deny an experienced solicitor a job because he was considered too expensive, amounted to age discrimination.

Mr Raymond Levy was 57 years old and had been a practising solicitor since 1985 - specialising in commercial property law - when, on 5th March 2018 he answered an advert placed by McHale Legal Limited for a commercial property role requiring a solicitor with at least five years’ post-qualification experience (PQE).

Mr Levy - who had just been made redundant from his previous job - was asked by the senior solicitor specialising in commercial property law at McHale Legal, Ms Maria Udalova-Surkova, to send his CV and an interview was arranged for 7th March 2018.

At the interview, Ms Udalova-Surkova told Mr Levy that the role was required to be filled fairly urgently as a senior associate was leaving the firm and work was ‘piling up’ as new instructions came in.

Mr Levy was asked what salary he was looking for and due to the role being based in Manchester - and being aware that the salary would be less than the £60,000 he would expect to be paid in London - he suggested that he could work for £50,000 for the first three months. He also offered to work on a self-employed consultancy basis.

Ms Udalova-Surkova then suggested a start date of the following Monday 12th March - but told Mr Levy that the decision was dependent on the result of a meeting between the heads of departments. 

The following day - 8th March - Ms Udalova-Surkova had a meeting with the other department heads to discuss the role. The notes from this meeting implied that Mr Levy was asking for a salary of £50,000-£60,000. This was an overstatement of what he had actually said he was looking for - and resulted in the suggestion that Mr Levy was ‘expensive’ and ‘doesn’t cover all our needs’.

On 9th March, Ms Udalova-Surkova emailed Andrew McHale - Senior Associate - saying, “Just to confirm, we are not interested in Raymond Levy, right?”. The tribunal heard that Mr McHale’s reply was, “Yep.” 

On 12th March, Mr Levy received an email which stated that his application had not been successful saying, “I regret to inform you that at this stage we would not require your services as we have decided to go for a 3-5 PQE solicitor to train to our specific requirements.”

The Tribunal felt McHale Limited - despite its ‘clumsily-worded’ commitment in the handbook to ‘actively support … discrimination legislation’ - had little understanding and awareness of discrimination legislation. The employment judge Sharon Lanridge said:

“The lack of formal training in diversity and equality issues was apparent from the respondent’s complacency, and its aggressive defence of this claim was wholly at odds with its self-imposed commitment in the handbook to take such complaints seriously. The continued threats to report the claimant to the SRA were revealing of an employer which is impervious to the possibility that it may have discriminated, even without appreciating that it had done so.

We did not consider that the respondent’s decision was a proportionate means of achieving any legitimate aim, not least because it was clear from the context that the claimant was flexible about salary and the duration of the job, offering also to work on a self-employed basis, yet he was not even invited to negotiate. While we may accept that it is legitimate to appoint a solicitor whose experience and salary expectations match the commercial needs of the firm… the refusal to offer the claimant the job in this case was quite disproportionate. Rather than keep an open mind and negotiate terms with the claimant, the respondent instead deprived him of an opportunity to obtain work at a time when he was unemployed and receptive to discussing the salary level.”

The Tribunal ruled that ‘expensive’ was in fact ‘synonymous with his being an experienced and older solicitor’, and that the firm changed the job requirements to suit a more junior solicitor after it had deemed Mr Levy unsuitable.

McHale Legal Limited is to appeal.

Kate Palmer - Associate Director of advisory at Peninsula - commented that this case showed how the particular wording of job advertisements may place individuals of a certain age at a disadvantage - resulting in employers falling foul of equality laws. She stated:

“As seen here, asking for someone with three-to-five years’ PQE is highly likely to only apply to younger applicants, meaning older candidates would automatically miss out on this opportunity because of their age despite meeting the requirements of the role. The fact that the employers in this case could not justify this requirement, providing contradictory explanations concerning the cost of the claimant despite his being willing to negotiate a lower salary with them, was one of the key reasons his claim succeeded.”

According to global research undertaken by the Hackett Group consultancy, over commitment represents the ‘greatest transformation hurdle’ for HR management.

In addition, the Hackett Group’s HR Key Issues research - based on data from 200 global executives - illustrated that the most critical development area for HR was organisational culture. The research also found that talent management and development is a high priority.

Tony DiRomualdo - Senior Research Director for The Hackett Group - said:

“Culture has always been in the top 10, but the move to the number-one spot in terms of both top issues and critical development areas is unprecedented and disconcerting. It speaks to the challenges that both the enterprise and HR have had in coping with the impact of digital business. Even if they’re making progress on the technology front, legacy organisational culture is holding the organisation back from achieving its full potential. HR executives are feeling the pressure to help the business move faster, to innovate, take risks and to be more experimental.”

Franco Girimonte - The Hackett Group Associate Principal - stated:

“We are seeing more and more organisations invest in their talent management processes such as recruiting websites, applicant tracking and assessments, candidate and employee experience, engagement tracking and inner mobility.”

He added:

“Achieving a proper balance - while transforming the function - is critical. As HR technology changes are made, it’s important that they also look at things like their operating model, skill sets, alignment of responsibilities and more. Ignoring this will hurt them in the long run.”

The research found that in the adoption and effectiveness levels for various technologies, HR is more aggressive than other business functions in adopting cloud-based systems, expecting to see a 26 per cent growth - but nearly 60 per cent of respondents were found to still rely on legacy on-premise systems, which frequently fall short of expectations.

Although less than 10 per cent of HR functions had completed large-scale deployments, robotic process automation met respondents’ expectations 83 per cent of the time, whilst 8 per cent said it exceeded expectations and 8 per cent said it fell short.

With regard to digital skills, 76 per cent of respondents said they had either large or very large skill gaps in analytics and modelling – with 67 per cent saying the same about ‘data savviness’.

Surveys and focus groups were thought to be the most effective practices to improve the employee experience by 23 per cent of the respondents.

Franco Girimonte stated:

“It’s an uphill battle for HR to improve its ability to support enterprise objectives while moving forward with their own functional improvement agenda. The challenges identified in our research are too numerous to be overcome in a single year. Instead, HR leaders should aim to make measurable improvements in capabilities that address top business priorities such as enterprise digital transformation, culture and skills gaps. This will increase HR’s value contribution to the business and help it to secure further support from top leaders for HR transformation efforts.”