eWork in Progress.


The future of the workplace and the evolving relationship between company management and employees;


many sectors. Emails, websites and mobile phones have transformed the way that workers do their jobs, communicate with their managers and the flexibility that they have. For many employees today, working does not necessitate physical presence at work. Employees working in this environment have greater freedom, choice and skills than previous generations – we should not be surprised that they are also clearer about what they want from their working lives, and seek to achieve this in discussion with their employers. This is a challenge for firms, but it is also a substantial opportunity to develop the kind of flexible relations that we highlighted in the recession.


Individual voice


Increased employee voice has driven a rapid expansion in the individualisation of employment relationships, and the way employees relate to their employer. Flexibility to personal needs is now an integral part of the modern employment relationship for many staff, especially for the skilled workers who are an important source of the UK’s competitive advantage. For the vast majority of private sector workers, this


flexibility means that their interaction with the firm about their employment relationship is individual rather than collective. Only 14% of private sector staff now choose to join a union. Most now engage with their employer in more direct ways such as staff meetings, employee opinion surveys and direct conversations with HR and line managers. All of these channels give people far greater individual routes to influence the shape of their working life.


This is a change that has worked for firms too. “Companies are increasingly using good communication tools to carry staff through change much more easily,” says Neil Carberry, CBI Director for Employment Affairs. “What we have seen over the last decade is that companies who bring their employees with them in processes of change can achieve much better results, not just this year and the year after but in five, 10 and 15 years’ time.” Firms are being clearer about what they want from individual employees, and seeking to match this up with the type of working life employees say they want. The same communication routes that help employees manage their working lives, help firms communicate more easily with staff.


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