In this blog, Francesca Gains, Professor of Public Policy and Co-Director of Policy@Manchester, discusses the importance of including women’s voices and their experiences (in all their diversity) in devolved policymaking. As the Greater Manchester Combined Authority refreshes its strategy (Our People, Our Place) and other combined authorities develop their local strategies, it will be crucial […]
Contradiction and hypocrisy: juxtaposed approaches to immigration
In recent years the government has been seen to take a hard-line stance on immigration policy. Yet it has launched numerous pro-immigration initiatives, with the primary aim of filling the labour deficit that exists in multiple sectors. Focus on these two conflicting approaches to immigration diverges hugely, with schemes that openly recognise the need for […]
Understanding the impact of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases on work
Dr Suzan Verstappen has blogged for us on the impact of Rheumatoid and Musculoskeletal Disease (RMD) on the workforce. Here, she outlines how her research, in association with a number of national research projects, aims to furnish the evidence base by which the extent of the RMD challenge to both workforce health and workplace design […]
Immigration in its place: how policy needs to recognise geography
Ken Clark, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, examines the Migration Advisory Committee’s recent report and discusses the need for place-based migration policy. The Migration Advisory Committee has persistently rejected calls for regional variation in the framework that regulates migration in the UK. It is clear that patterns of migration, and thus its […]
Why engineering in the UK must embrace change
2018 is the Year of Engineering, a UK Government campaign to increase awareness and understanding of what engineers do amongst young people. The reason for the drive is that despite demand, good career opportunities and higher than average earnings, industry struggles to recruit and retain the talent it needs. Many young people, especially women and […]
The Case for Optimism amid the ‘Broken’ NHS
NHS organisations and the professionals who staff them are under tremendous pressure. The University of Manchester’s Professor Leo McCann has been working closely with NHS paramedics in England over the last five years, learning about the changes they have gone through as professionals and the pressures that ambulance trusts face as organisations. In this blog, […]
Why it’s time to address workplace racism as a matter of health and safety
Fifty years on from the UK’s first piece of legislation outlawing racial discrimination in employment, Stephen Ashe & James Nazroo look at what’s changed and whether racism in the workplace needs to be looked at in a different light. It has been shown repeatedly that reoccurring exposure to racism has serious negative long-term effects on […]
Where next for SPL: reflections on the Women and Equalities Committee’s ‘Fathers and the Workplace’ inquiry recommendations
Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee today released its report from the Fathers and the Workplace inquiry which highlights the difficulties dads have in balancing their careers and childcare responsibilities. Dr Emma Banister from Alliance Manchester Business School and Dr Ben Kerrane from Lancaster University Management School give us their thoughts on the report’s recommendations. It […]
Shared parental leave: Opportunities and barriers and the #sharethejoy campaign
As the Government launches a new drive to raise awareness about Shared Parental Leave, Dr Emma Banister looks at the issues dogging this flagship gender equality initiative. Success of the Shared Parental Leave scheme remains a challenge due to a lack of awareness and understanding as well as a range of barriers and constraints associated […]
Why closing the gender pay gap requires a new debate on fair pay
Professor Jill Rubery, Director of the Work and Equalities Institute at Alliance Manchester Business School examines why progress on closing the gender pay gap within organisations requires a new debate on the principles and practices of fair pay. Similar pay gaps, to those at the BBC, can be expected to be found across the public […]