Fair Work Convention Co-Chairs Mary Alexander and Professor Patricia Findlay have written the foreword in CIPD Scotland’s Survey Report Working Lives Scotland 2024.
The Working Lives in Scotland report is a valuable insight into how workplaces in Scotland are progressing on their fair work journey. This year’s report shows once again the importance of good management and the need for effective voice for workers in Scotland.
The report makes clear the degree to which the views voiced by workers are not always prioritised or acted upon. Workers on the whole prefer homeworking but increasingly employers are moving away from this approach to organising work. We know that workers value learning and development opportunities, but these are becoming increasingly restricted across a range of workplaces. Workplace conflict is simply too prevalent across businesses in Scotland, harming workers and businesses, and a clear sign that effective voice mechanisms are not sufficiently present. It is particularly worrying that women and disabled workers are more likely to experience workplace conflict and disabled workers report both higher rates of discrimination and poorer relationships with managers, impacting both their physical and their mental health.
So much of our life is spent at work and so much of our workplace experience depends on relationships between individuals within teams and with managers. Getting the fundamentals of fair work right creates workplaces that are both innovative and productive. Fair work therefore benefits employers, by increasing worker engagement, supporting collaboration and innovation and facilitating good business outcomes. When workers begin to report a lack of engagement, as the report suggests is happening in the public sector, fair work practices are the key drivers of positive change.
Ultimately fair work has a key role to play in supporting good outcomes for workers and employers and in shaping Scotland’s economy, creating high value, innovative and productive workplaces, and supporting fairness and equality in wider Scottish society.
Read Working Lives Scotland 2024 -CIPD Scotland Survey Report
Mary Alexander and Professor Patricia Findlay
Co-Chairs of The Fair Work Convention