2012 work trends

ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) has identified four key work trends which are likely to affect businesses over the coming year:

1. Employment relations

Economic difficulties continue and tensions in the workplace in the form of the larger disputes have by no means disappeared.

According to ACAS, “While we have seen some high-profile strikes, we need to keep things in perspective. The number of disputes and days lost to strikes remain at historically low levels. In fact, the number of work days lost to strikes is at its lowest for 20 years.”

2. Resolving disputes in the workplace

The Government's resolving workplace disputes consultation announced a number of changes with a wider role for ACAS to resolve disputes before they reach a formal claim to an employment tribunal. In the coming year, this should help focus minds on the principle of resolving disputes within the workplace before they can escalate, even before ACAS wider role comes in effect in 2014.

3. Social media

The rise of social media in recent years has been truly phenomenal. Facebook has more than 500 million users sharing more than 30 billion pieces of content each month. Social media throws up a number of issues for employees and employers in relatively uncharted territory for many. For instance should employers limit workforce access to social media sites at work? Can they regulate employee's behaviour on sites outside of work if postings are work-related? And what types of behaviour should result in disciplinary action?

4. The ageing workforce

One of the most significant changes that will impact on the workplace is the ageing of the workforce. The Default Retirement Age has been removed and this, coupled with the announced increases in state pension age, means that the average age of the UK workforce is expected to increase.

In these difficult economic times, the issue of the ageing workforce may not appear to be high on the agenda. However, this changing landscape will impact on the workplace and employers will undoubtedly need support and guidance to respond.

Employers will face new challenges - for instance, handling flexible working requests fairly and providing training or support to develop the careers of older workers. Having more people working longer means that employers also need to think about the job opportunities and career progression of the rest of the workforce.

For more information please visit: acas.org.uk.