Press Story

Three in four employers support the government’s proposals to strengthen employment rights

National poll of over 1,000 finds employers believe strengthening workers’ rights would be positive for productivity and profits

New polling for IPPR, the TUC and Persuasion UK by Opinium has found that a clear majority of employers support stronger rights for workers, including specific policies announced by the government. 

Two-thirds (68 per cent) of senior decision-makers and middle managers, including six in 10 (61 per cent) small businesses, believe that the rights of ordinary workers should be stronger. 

The results suggest that amongst those making decisions within businesses and engaging with workers, support for the government’s plans is high:  

Job security:Six in 10 (60 per cent) said that employees should have more security at work, compared to just 3 per cent who think they should have less.

Workforce health: Seven in 10 (75 per cent) think that strengthened employment rights will improve employee health, compared to just 4 per cent who disagree.

Retention: Seven in 10 (74 per cent) believe that strengthening employment rights will improve workforce retention, compared to just 6 per cent who do not.

Productivity: Seven in 10 (73 per cent) say strengthened employment rights will boost productivity, compared to just 7 per cent who disagree.

Profitability: Six in 10 (61 per cent) think stronger employment rights will have a positive impact on business profitability, compared to fewer than two in 10 (17 per cent) who disagree.

Employer support for stronger workers’ rights is not premised on a general lack of understanding or knowledge of the government’s proposed changes. Most (69 per cent) businesses are aware of Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’ and the polling found that an overwhelming majority (75 per cent) support the measures, including nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) of small businesses. Only 17 per cent of employers oppose the policies. The polling also found that support among employers for stronger employment rights increased once they were told about the full detail of the government’s proposals.  

Most employers strongly or somewhat support (73 per cent) giving employees protection from unfair dismissal from the first day of employment, known as ‘day one rights’, compared to a small minority (13 per cent) who opposed the measure. A majority of employers (74 per cent) also support giving employees access to sick pay from day one (compared to 12 per cent who oppose the idea).   

Paul Nowak, general secretary at TUC, said:  

“There is a big disconnect between some of the more siren voices in the business community and the reality on the ground. 

“This polling shows there is large-scale support for boosting workers’ rights among company managers and decision-makers. 

“They are the ones talking to their staff members every day. And they know their workforces do a better job when they are happy and more secure at work. 

“Driving up employment standards is in everybody's interest and will stop good employers from being undercut by the bad. 

“The UK’s long experiment with a low-rights, low-wage economy has been terrible for growth, productivity and living standards. It's time to turn the page and bring UK worker protections in line with the mainstream across other developed economies.” 

 Dr George Dibb, associate director for economic policy at IPPR, said: 

“We know that having a happy, healthy, motivated, and productive workforce is good for employees but it's also fundamental for the bottom line of a business. This polling shows employers, large and small, recognise this, and overwhelmingly support stronger rights for their workers.  

“Most employers believe that the government’s employment rights policies will have a positive effect on productivity and investment, as well as on the profitability of their business.  

“The UK economy must break out of the low-productivity, low-investment trap that we’re currently in and stronger baseline of workers’ rights is an essential part.”  

Steve Akehurst, Director of Persuasion UK, said:

“You could be forgiven for thinking that increasing workplace protections was a divisive issue. But this is an area of real consensus.

 “Enhancing workers’ rights is one of the government’s most popular policy agendas. Voters across the political spectrum support the plans as do businesses large and small.”

ENDS 

Dr George Dibb and a spokesperson from the TUC are available for interview. 

CONTACT 

For IPPR:

David Wastell, Director of News and Communications: 07921 403651 d.wastell@ippr.org  

Georgia Horsfall, Digital and Media Officer: 07931 605 737 g.horsfall@ippr.org  

For TUC:

Alexander Rossiter, Senior Media Officer: 07725 488893, ARossiter@TUC.ORG.UK

NOTES TO EDITORS 

The IPPR briefing, Strengthening the foundations: Why employers support stronger workers’ rights will be published at 0001 on September 7 at:
https://www.ippr.org/articles/strengthening-the-foundations-why-employers-support-stronger-workers-rights
Opinium conducted an online survey among 1,000 middle managers and senior decision-makers with a focus on HR and recruitment in businesses with 10 or more employees. Fieldwork was carried out between 6th and 21st August 2024. These were conducted through a bespoke approach, recruiting DMs from two specialist business panels and the B2B subset on Opinium’s proprietary UK panel. All data has been checked to ensure results are consistent across all sample sources. This allows us to corroborate the overall findings, alongside all usual data checks that are included as standard within market research studies.  
Underlying data for the polling conducted by Opinium is available under embargo on request. 
IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. We are researchers, communicators, and policy experts creating tangible progressive change, and turning bold ideas into common sense realities. Working across the UK, IPPR, IPPR North, and IPPR Scotland are deeply connected to the people of our nations and regions, and the issues our communities face. We have helped shape national conversations and progressive policy change for more than 30 years. From making the early case for the minimum wage and tackling regional inequality, to proposing a windfall tax on energy companies, IPPR’s research and policy work has put forward practical solutions for the crises facing society. www.ippr.org   
Persuasion UK is an independent non-partisan, not-for-profit research initiative which aims to understand what's shaping public opinion on the issues that will define the next decade of public policy. We study the narratives, messengers and experiences which are moving public opinion now - and those which have the potential to do so in the future: https://persuasionuk.org/