institute for employment studies

about IES

How IES works: in more detail ...

Several key principles underlie the operation of IES.

Independence and dissemination

The purpose of IES, set out in its mission, is to help bring about sustainable improvements in employment policy and human resource management. It does this through its research and consultancy work, by increasing the understanding and improving the practice of key decision-makers in public policy bodies and in employing organisations in the private and public sectors. Crucial to the Institute’s mission, and underpinning its charitable status, is that it should inform not simply those who directly commission our research and consultancy, but also the wider community of policy- and decision-makers. This provides the Institute with a strong motivation to publish and disseminate the findings of its work.

Multidisciplinarity

IES aims to deploy a wide range of expertise in its work, approaching problems from different disciplinary perspectives and, where appropriate, combining those perspectives in its research and consultancy projects. IES has over 60 staff including around 50 professional researchers and consultants, among whom are economists, econometricians, statisticians, sociologists, management scientists, geographers and occupational psychologists. In addition, we work with an extensive network of individual associates and partner organisations, enabling us to bring a further range of specialist expertise to individual projects as required.

A dual focus on public policy and employers

Although IES has evolved and developed considerably since its founding in the 1960s, a unique and constant feature of the Institute has been its dual focus on work for public policy-makers on the one hand and employers on the other. This stems from a recognition that the employment policies of the state and its agencies, and the HR policies and practices of employers are two sides of the same coin, and that to meet its mission, IES must pursue a balanced portfolio of work for both sides.

Read more on our extensive range of research on public policy topic areas, together with our international work. Our work with and for employers falls under two broad headings: project work for employers or employer organisations, which is a mixture of research and consultancy/advice; and our corporate membership programme, the IES HR Network, which brings employers together to learn from and contribute to the evidence base on HR policy and practice.

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