Press Release
UK entrepreneurs say employee rights gone too far
Six months since age discrimination was banned in the workplace, UK entrepreneurs are struggling with escalating employee rights legislation.
New research by entrepreneur think tank The Tenon Forum reveals that 70 per cent of UK entrepreneurs feel that the balance of power has been shifted too far in favour of the employee. The legislation has added to a raft of government initiatives including paternity rights and sexual orientation.
Owner managers in the Midlands have felt the brunt of the problem, with 77 per cent of entrepreneurs in the region affected, followed by the North West, North East and Yorkshire & Humberside.
But despite these concerns, many entrepreneurs are continuing to ask for candidates’ ages on job application forms, putting themselves at potential risk of costly discrimination claims. More than a quarter of entrepreneurs (26 per cent) intend to continue asking for interviewees’ dates of birth, with the figure rising to almost a third (32 per cent) in London and the South East.
Tenon’s research also reveals that owner-managed businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to find quality staff. Almost half of entrepreneurs questioned (45 per cent) find it difficult or very difficult to recruit the right people for their businesses. The industries struggling most with recruitment, the research highlights, are the agriculture, mining and fishing sectors.
Particularly in demand are skilled manual workers, with 40 per cent of respondents saying this group is the hardest to recruit. Tenon Forum members singled out the decline of apprenticeships as a major reason for the lack of these workers. Additionally, entrepreneurs are facing difficulties finding manual workers (19 per cent), senior managers (15 per cent) and middle managers (14 per cent).
Michaela Johns, Director of Business Services at Tenon, commented: “Entrepreneurs are broadly in favour of measures which protect employees, but our findings show they feel under pressure from increasing workplace legislation. They are also finding it more and more difficult to recruit quality staff, which can only hinder the growth of the SME sector, though think tank members did note the positive impact of immigrant workers.
The Government must be wary of developing the kind of stringent employment laws which have strangled many businesses on the Continent and instead build a climate which enables enterprise to flourish.”
Ends.
For more information or to arrange an interview with a Tenon Forum spokesperon or case study, please contact:
Marsha D’Angelo 020 7419 8630, marsha@bbpr.com
Notes to editors
About Tenon
Tenon is a leading provider of accounting and business advice to entrepreneurs. Tenon provides clients with expertise in Business Services, Tax, Financial Services, Corporate Finance, Recovery, Outsourcing and Forensic Accountancy. Tenon is the 9th largest UK accountancy firm with almost 1500 staff operating through a network of 29 offices across the UK offering local expertise with the backing of a national plc.
About the Tenon Forum
A regular survey of 600 SMEs is carried out every six months for the Tenon Forum by GfK NOP. These findings, combined with the analysis by an independent think tank of entrepreneurs, form the Tenon Forum report. The Tenon Forum is an independent think tank made up of leading entrepreneurs from the UK’s small and medium sized business community. The Tenon Forum Think Tank meets to analyse issues arising from this research.
About the research
GfK NOP interviewed 600 MDs, FDs and other senior directors of small and medium businesses - firms with between 5 and 499 employees. The survey covers all business sectors across the whole of England, Scotland and Wales and the results have been weighted to provide a representative sample of the British economy.
