New employment laws for 2023

What upcoming legislation does HR need to know about? Audrey Williams reports.

Rather than new employment legislation coming from government, changes to the law are likely to be the result of private members’ bills that have government support. The exceptions are the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill and the Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, which are aimed at the transport sector to address the ongoing industrial action.

Silicon Valley layoffs aren’t just a cost-cutting measure. They’re a culture reset.

Why Big Tech’s glory days are coming to a close.

A wave of significant layoffs is crashing across Silicon Valley.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg cut 11,000 employees, or 13 percent of FacebookAmazon has confirmed plans to slash as many as 10,000 corporate and tech jobs. LyftRobinhoodStripeNetflixCoinbase. They’re all downsizing. And they’re not just axing jobs — they’re also doing away with some of the perks that have become synonymous with working in tech.

Workers face twenty years of low pay, TUC warns

The “longest wage squeeze since Napoleonic times” has left UK families at breaking point, the head of the Trades Union Congress has said.

Workers are facing two decades with no real wage growth, Frances O’Grady told the TUC conference in Brighton.

Prices have risen faster than wages since the financial crisis in 2008.

In response, the government said it was “determined to make work pay” and said it had already increased the minimum wage.

Tim Cook: ‘No good excuse’ for lack of women in tech

Apple chief executive Tim Cook says there are still “not enough women at the table” at the world’s tech firms – including his own.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Cook said technology “will not achieve nearly what it could achieve” without a more diverse workforce.

He said there were “no good excuses” for the lack of women in the sector.

He also said he thought Augmented Reality (AR), and the concept of the Metaverse, were “profound.”

“In the future people will wonder how we lived without AR,” he says. “We’re investing a tonne in that space.”

6 Job Description Examples — and What Makes Them Effective

Since so few companies invest time or effort in writing compelling job descriptions, you have an enormous opportunity to stand out. Job postings can be so much more than a list of requirements — they can strengthen your employer brand and inspire the right candidates to take action. 

All of your candidates — whether passive or active — will read your job descriptions at some point in the hiring process. Why not use them strategically to grab and keep the attention of the candidates you’re really after?

How Remote Work Can Help Your Company Increase Neurodiversity

When remote work became widespread, it created new opportunities for a variety of people, from working parents to employees living far from employment hubs. But one group that has particularly benefited is workers who are neurodivergent — those with dyslexia, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or other atypical neurological conditions. 

For people who are neurodivergent, in-person office culture has traditionally been a tough fit. The sounds, bright lights, and even strong smells can cause some to experience sensory overload. Team meetings pose challenges, as workers with cognitive differences can struggle to interpret social cues and subtle communication styles. And commutes are often fraught with unpredictability and change, which can be taxing for people with ASD. 

In a First, Remote Jobs Attract a Majority of Applications on LinkedIn

A year ago, remote work may have seemed like a passing phase.

Not anymore. In a first for LinkedIn, remote jobs received 50% of all applications in February 2022 — despite representing less than 20% of all jobs posted.

In other words, candidates are showing far more interest in remote jobs than onsite opportunities. 

Why it matters

As many companies seem eager to return workers to the office, candidates are sending a strong message that many of them would prefer to work remotely. 

At the same time, hiring demand is rising sharply for jobs that must be done in-person, as companies struggle to fill frontline positions — another sign that candidates aren’t keen to return to prepandemic norms.

We helped achieve a world record with purpose, in mental health awareness week!

As part of mental health awareness week in May, the Roseland Partners team joined an online mental health lesson with viewers from all over the world, led by mental health advocate Michelle Morgan – and helped break a world record for views of a mental health session in the process! Personal stories, explanations and useful tools were shared.

Thoughts from our intern, Gabriella Fajemirokun: Through her work, Michelle aims to break down the stigma around mental health issues, normalise speaking about them, and encourage us to give our mental health the same attention as we do our physical health. By sharing and owning our stories, it will help other people share theirs – including at work. Burnout from work / work-related stress is the most common form of stress, with 79% of UK adults experiencing it. Many topics were discussed during the session, and my main takeaway was the theme of loneliness and the irony of it, as it is something that we can all connect and relate to. Michelle stated that it is her mission to make mental health an everyday conversation and I hope we are all able to make that transformation eventually.

You can view the session here : https://player.vimeo.com/video/707865472 

Cost of living continues to outpace wage growth

Wage growth in the UK continues to fall behind the cost of living, official statistics for November to January have confirmed, while the number of job vacancies and levels of economic inactivity both grow. 

The Office for National Statistics said that, adjusted for inflation, regular pay fell by 1% compared to the previous year, while real total pay grew by 0.1%.