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Research by Professor Ian Cunningham and Professor Dennis Nickson has influenced policy and practice with regard to a range of employment relations issues in the voluntary sector. Sector-level lead bodies, such as the Coalition of Care and Support Providers Scotland (CCPS) and individual trade unions (e.g. Unison and UNITE) and union confederations such as the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) have adopted the research results and recommendations to campaign and influence public policy. The research has enabled Unison to establish a separate 'service group' (a term used to describe the union's key industrial sector). Research work on re-tendering in the voluntary social care sector (VSSC) has also been a key influence for the Scottish Government according to the Director of the CCPS, resulting in the formulation of specific guidance on social care procurement. Some research findings are cited in an influential report that has resulted in the establishment of a Scottish Government National Steering Group on joint strategic commissioning. The research on the impact of recession on VSSC has also led to joint lobbying between the STUC and employer organisations to campaign on worker terms and conditions, and training.
"Gender equality in employment is recognised by policy makers and advisors (such as the Low Pay Commission) as an extremely important policy area." (Factual statement 1. Chief Economist and Deputy Secretary, Low Pay Commission); affecting as it does, all employees in the UK labour market. Research at the University of York analyses the gender wage gap at a national level, making a new contribution to the understanding of wage inequality in the UK. The three major stakeholder government departments (Low Pay Commission, Government Equalities Office, and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) have used the research findings and policy recommendations in their wage policy development to reduce the gender wage gap in the UK. The report was personally identified by the Minister for Employment Relations as making an important contribution to the development of policy.
Research undertaken since 1999 by Professor Paul Latreille at Swansea University has examined workplace conflict and its resolution. Much of this research has been externally funded by the ESRC, government and other bodies, and published as reports and papers in internationally recognised academic journals. The research has delivered a range of impacts, including shaping policymaker and practitioner debate and providing confirmation of, and challenges to, policy and practice. Impact is evidenced, inter alia, by references to the research in government consultation documents and responses to such documents, Parliamentary debate and practitioner materials.
This case study illustrates the impact of research at Swansea University Business School by Harvey during 2005 - 2009. It focuses on the managerial response to the challenges faced by civil aviation since 2001 and their impact on employment relations. The research has raised awareness and increased understanding of the critical importance of positive employment relations and influenced attitudes to the priorities in meeting the challenges within civil aviation. The impact is evident in international public debate on labour policies and practices, especially the Social Dialogue process coordinated by the European Commission (EC) and adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
This research into treatment for employees with disabilities provides one of the UK's Equality Performance Indicators and recommendations from it have been incorporated into UK legislation. Hundreds of organisations have used the research to promote better treatment for employees with disabilities; public-sector employers, including government departments, have relied on it to meet their statutory duties and it has helped the UK to fulfil its international treaty and convention obligations in respect of people with disabilities. This research has helped the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to fulfil its statutory role to promote equality and human rights.
This research into rich donors in the UK has impacted on the policies of both governmental and non-governmental bodies. Government policy shapes and incentivises philanthropic behaviour (e.g. through tax incentives), whilst charity sector bodies influence philanthropic norms and build trust: both have used this research to guide their policy and practice. Examples include the influence of the research on the content of the UK Government's Giving White Paper (2011); the decision to abandon the proposed cap on charity tax relief (2012 Budget); and the work of bodies who promote fundraising and philanthropy, for example, the Institute of Fundraising, Philanthropy UK and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
A far-reaching restructuring of publicly-funded employment dispute resolution agencies and programmes in Ireland has resulted from a series of research studies on the structure, conduct and performance of such agencies, and on employment dispute resolution within organisations. In particular, the studies:
Over the last five years, researchers within the Institute for Research into Organisations, Work and Employment (iROWE) have worked closely with policy-makers at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to develop a programme of research that has provided new evidence in the areas of conflict management and downsizing. This has been central in re-shaping Acas's strategic priorities to include explicit reference to conflict management for the first time. It has also informed Acas's response to government over proposed employment reform and been used to develop new guidance in respect of redundancy handling, representation and workplace mediation. These impacts were sustained and maximised through the co-ordination of an ESRC funded seminar series, co-sponsored by Acas in 2012-13.
The UK's adoption, and implementation in 2004, of the European Union's (EU) Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Directive had profound implications for industrial relations in the UK, which historically had no provision for works councils (a representative structure where management meet with employee representatives to discuss working conditions). Professor Mark Hall's research on the impact of the ICE Regulations on organisations has had an impact on both policy and implementation of the Regulations at the UK and European levels. The outputs from the research have helped to inform UK policy-making, and supported significant European reviews of the legislation as well as contributing to improving professional practice through training and information.