ReWAGE News Archive

A recent report Estimating the Costs of Workplace Conflict in Northern Ireland commissioned by the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) has revealed that almost 300,000 employees (37% of the workforce) experience conflict in the workplace, costing the local economy of £851m.

The analysis forms the basis of a new report from work and employment expert group, ReWAGE, which focuses on the impact of workplace conflict in Northern Ireland. Managerial Capability - Minimising the Costs of Workplace Conflict in Northern Ireland compares the relative costs of resolving conflict early through informal discussion and mediation, and situations where those discussions either fail or do not take place, resulting in dismissal or resignation.

This policy brief was authored for ReWAGE by Professor Richard Saundry and was based on research undertaken with Professor Peter Urwin at the University of Westminster. The research was funded by the Labour Relations Agency and Acas.

ReWAGE is fortunate in having some of the UK’s foremost thinkers on its Expert Group, drawn from leading universities and research organisations from across the UK. Between them they have a huge breadth of knowledge, covering such subjects as the labour market, job quality, employment relations and the changing nature of work.

This week we are turning the spotlight onto ReWAGE expert Tom Baum who is Professor of Tourism Employment in the Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Background:

Tom has over 40 years of experience in vocational and higher education and specialises in workforce planning, curriculum development, programme design and assessment. He has many years of experience as a public sector manager, teacher, researcher, and consultant in over 40 countries.

Tom holds or has held visiting appointments to universities in Australia, Estonia, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Wales.

ReWAGE’s new report, The future of flexible working, says that remote working is here to stay, but even for those able to work remotely there are many unresolved issues that need to be addressed. More importantly, opportunities for flexible working need to be expanded for the majority of the workforce who cannot work remotely if we are to avoid widening inequality. The report is supported by a short policy brief. The paper was commissioned and funded by Deloitte.