When Private Eye features a spoof newspaper article the name of the fictitious journalist raises a chuckle: Polly Filler, the yummy-mummy columnist; Lunchtime O’Booze, the music correspondent and, a particular favourite, Phil Space.
At first glance I thought that the CIPD employee survey story was a Phil Space special. “Redundancies leave employees hacked off SHOCK”. No, you don’t say. Reading the source document a more interesting story unpacks itself, mainly in the CIPD adviser’s comments.
He is full of gloomy predictions, (he runs the prophet Jeremiah a close second for gloom). Not only are employees fed up now but: “Many disillusioned employees will vote with their feet and leave as soon as the labour market picks up.” Hmmm. ‘Not proven’, for he proffers no historic evidence to support his assertion.
His jeremiad continues claiming lack of trust in senior management is “largely due to the lack of meaningful consultation and effective communication during major change such as redundancy programmes and restructuring”. So, if only management had talked more effectively to workers as they sacked their colleagues confidence would have been maintained? A likely story.
He concludes with rewards for failure. Financial rewards for failing chief executives and directors: “are contributing to a deep-seated sense of unfairness”. Here the results of the survey, the adviser’s opinion and everyday experience coalesce.
For thirty years Britain has traded equality for growth, job security for increased overall-prosperity. Yet a sense of fair play remains. Nothing undermines this new deal more than a belief that bosses share in the good times but insulate themselves from the bad. Given that at the moment it would seem “There is no alternative”, the likelihood is that the flexible labour system will remain, private sector unionisation will not increase but that employee relations will be affected by sourness, sullenness and cynicism for years to come.