Simonetta Manfredi

Action research to develop work‐life balance in a UK university

Purpose – This paper aims to show the extent to which an action research approach, which incorporates learning from previous studies and interventions, can be used to progress work‐life balance (WLB) policies and practices in a university context.Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on the now considerable knowledge relating to the theory and practice of WLB. It adopts an action research/change management approach as part of a project partly funded by the Department for Trade and Industry partnership scheme. Specific methods utilised include a fundamental review of organisational policy using an evaluative matrix and an analysis of the outcomes of four workshops with 51 line managers.Findings – The findings show considerable differences between the experiences of administrative, professional, technical and clerical (APT&C) staff and academics. In particular, APT&C staff seek a greater sense of “entitlement” and more trust and autonomy, whereas academic staff seek a more manageable work load. By ...

Equal opportunities for women employees in the hospitality industry: a comparison between France, Italy, Spain and the UK

Abstract This paper considers womens employment in four countries with reference to their participation in the labour force in general and in the hospitality industry in particular. Comparison is made of the factors which affect womens employment, including the legislative environment and access to training. National factors which help or hinder womens opportunities are contrasted. The paper then draws on the results of a cross-national survey and case studies of hotels in each country to demonstrate differences and similarities in womens employment patterns. The survey shows that employers have only a limited awareness of employment legislation based on European Directives and that stereotyped attitudes still act as a barrier to the types of jobs that men and women carry out in hotels. Recommendations are made for national and company level policies and approaches to achieve equality of opportunity.

Women's employment in Italian and UK hotels

This article uses secondary and primary data to compare and contrast the experience of women in the Italian and UK labour markets. It explores differences in national social policies and the impact of these on employment practices in the hotel industry in each country. It demonstrates that although Italy has a stronger legal framework to support women, their job opportunities are limited and the favourable maternity rights, in particular, appear to be disadvantaging women. By comparison, it shows how fast economic transformation has increased opportunities for women in the UK, but that these tend to be in numerically flexible jobs which are vulnerable to economic fluctuation. The article moves on to evaluate each Governments approach to implementing the European Directive on Parental Leave, and concludes that EU attempts at convergence through legislation are unlikely to be effective as different countries will interpret and implement the legislation in very different ways.

Meeting the Challenges of Active Ageing in the Workplace: Is the Abolition of Retirement the Answer?

This article considers how policy makers across Europe can meet the challenges of extending working lives, is a key element of the ‘Active Ageing’ agenda, whilst at the same time striking a balance between the interests of older workers, those of younger generations to access jobs and career opportunities, and the interests of employers in workforce planning. It examines the experience of the UK which removed mandatory retirement in October 2011 and argues that, viewed from a Marxist perspective, the developments in the UK have failed to strike the correct balance between the different interests at stake, and has instead taken a neo-liberal approach to the regulation of retirement. It then moves to consider retirement from an equalities perspective and suggests that retaining some form of regulation of the end of working lives can still meet the demands of equality. The final section discusses some proposals for reform.

Older Workers in the Nursing and Midwifery Profession: Will They Stay or Will They Go?

One of the challenges posed by increased life expectancy is to ensure the financial sustainability of pension provisions. In response to these demographic changes, the UK government has taken three major policy steps. The first has been to remove mandatory retirement in 2011, unless the need to maintain a contractual retirement age can be objectively justified by an employer (see Manfredi and Vickers at Chap. 4 and Ashtiany at Chap. 14). The second relates to pension arrangements with the introduction of a system where employees will be automatically enrolled in a pension scheme unless they decide to opt out of it, and the third to carry out reforms of public sector pensions. With regard to the latter, an Independent Public Service Pensions Commission was set up. In 2011, it published a report that recommended a change to public sector pensions that addresses the balance between, on the one hand, the need to reward workers’ loyalty and, on the other hand, to secure ‘value for money’ for taxpayers. One of the main implications of these changes for the UK National Health Service (NHS) is that, from 2015, nurses will no longer have the option of retiring at the age of 55. Members of the NHS Pension Scheme will be entitled to draw their pension without reduction only once they have reached the state pension age (SPA), which will be linked to their birth date. For example, the SPA for people born between 1954 and 1960 will be the age of 66, while for those born between 1961 and 1977 will be 67; and these changes are intended to be reviewed and kept in line with increased life expectancy.

The Challenges of Active Ageing in the UK: A Case Study of the Approach to Retirement in the UK

In 2011, age discrimination legislation in the UK was repealed. As a result, it became unlawful for employers to have a contractual retirement age, unless this can be objectively justified in order to achieve a legitimate aim. This chapter will review the extent to which these legislative changes are helping to meet the challenges of active ageing. It will also consider the ways in which other aspects of the law are protecting older workers and supporting the extension of working lives. It begins by identifying five main challenges faced by policy makers in the UK when addressing the active ageing agenda, which aims to encourage and support the extension of working lives. It traces the evolution of age discrimination legislation in the UK, from a voluntary code, through the use of the right to request and the default retirement age, to the removal of retirement ages altogether in 2011. It then turns to assess when employers may be able to justify mandatory retirement under current UK legislation, in the light of the jurisprudence developed by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). It also considers the use of settlement agreements and performance management by employers to terminate older workers’ contracts of employment. Finally, it discusses how we might meet the needs of older workers who wish to extend their working lives.

Higher education: advancing equality in challenging times

This special edition of perspectives explores the likely impact of the 2010 Equality Act on the higher education (HE) sector. One of the distinctive features of this Act is that it brings together all the different protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation) and it takes a much more integrated approach to equality. A key objective of the Act is to ‘advance’ rather than ‘promote’ equality as stated by previous legislation. Hepple (2011: 134) suggests that this ‘change of wording to “advance” is significant’ since it signals an approach which is intended to be more focused on outcomes and real progress. However, the introduction of this new generation of equality legislation is happening against a background of profound changes to the higher education sector resulting from the Browne Report on Securing a Sustainable Future for Higher Education (2010), which will have far-reaching implications for higher education institutions (HEIs). There is a risk that in this climate the need for advancing equality may not be seen as a priority by HEIs as they are facing a numberof challenges brought about by the adoption of a different funding model. However, it is evident from the general equality duty introduced in April 2011 and the ‘specific duties’ that came into force in July that equality ought to be a priority for HEIs and remain at the core of their activities. In this respect the selection of papers published in this special issue is timely and particularly relevant for HE professionals and academics since they provide evidence, and robust and persuasive arguments about the importance of keeping equality high on the institutional agenda. The first paper, by Ruebain, sets the scene for this special issue by starting with a general assessment of progress that has been achieved so far in relation to equality and diversity. It reviews the evolution of the concept of equality from the introduction of the first Race Relations Act over forty-five years ago to the adoption of the public sector duties from 2001 onwards and, most recently, to the passage into law of the Equality Act. It argues that equality and diversity issues ought to be an institutional priority particularly at a time when HEIs are dealing with increased diversity in the students’ population. Another important point made in this paper is that higher education is uniquely positioned to influence society. Therefore embedding equality and respect for diversity in its structures and practices can contribute to shaping the values and the attitudes of generations of staff and students that will carry them in the wider society. It highlights some of the key features of the Act such as the single Simonetta Manfredi is a Reader in Equality and Diversity Management and Director of the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice at Oxford Brookes University. Address for correspondence: Centre for Diversity Policy Research, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK. Email: smanfredi@brookes.ac.uk