Zofia Bajorek

Senior Research Fellow

BA, MSc, PhD

Zofia joined IES as a Research Fellow in June 2018. Her main interests include the role of line managers and the development of the employment relationship, the management of the psychological contract, the temporary and flexible workforce, and the health and wellbeing of the workforce, including the promotion of good work practices.

Prior to joining IES, Zofia was the lead researcher in HR and Management at the Work Foundation, where she worked on a number of projects related to a range of workforce issues, including systematic reviews for workplace policy and management practices to improve the health of employees, the health and wellbeing of the ageing workforce and performance-related pay in the public sector. Zofia has also undertaken a mixed-method study to understand the role of employee engagement in the NHS for staff and patient outcomes, and contributed to a number of policy papers providing recommendations to improve the health and wellbeing of the workforce.

Zofia completed a PhD in management studies at King’s College London, focusing on the management of temporary staff in the accident and emergency department, and the impact this can have on patient safety and service quality, which included two distinct case studies involving interviewing hospital staff at the macro, meso and micro level.

She has since used a range qualitative skills to explore how employers and employees can manage long-term chronic conditions at work (eg inflammatory bowel disease) and the role of self-management for chronic conditions.  Zofia also has an interest in gender equality in the workplace and has undertaken in-depth qualititative research looking at the under-application of women to Queen’s Counsel (QC) status. Zofia is also interested in understanding the future of the workplace and discussing workforce trends.

Zofia was placed in the top 10 of HR Magazines Most Influential Thinker list in 2022.

Education

Graduation year Higher education institution Qualification, subject
2014 King’s College London PhD, Management Studies
2006 University of Nottingham MSc, Occupational Psychology
2004 University of Exeter BA, Psychology

Career

2013-2018 Lead Researcher in HR and Management, The Work Foundation
2007-2008 Assistant Researcher and Research Administrator, Legal Services Research Centre

 

CV Details

Work and health: international comparisons with the UK

Returning to work after cancer: the growing role of HR in employee support

Mental Health Awareness Week: how moving ‘fairness’ up the organisational agenda could reap wellbeing benefits

Why ‘i-deals’ may not be idyllic for managing hybrid work

‘People leave managers, not companies’ - but is the manager really at fault?

Are we ‘pulling more sickies’ or do organisations need to focus more on ‘good work’?

Unpaid carers and employment: why it’s time carers are cared for

Health and wellbeing at work: where we are and where we want to be

It’s time to stop squeezing the ‘squeezed middle’, for everyone’s benefit

Will management ‘productivity paranoia’ be the undoing of hybrid work?

Is employee loneliness the next pandemic to challenge HR?

Weight-based stigma and employment – an opportunity to have your voice heard

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

The Great Resignation Vs The Great Retirement: Where should employers’ attention lie?

‘High wage, high skills, high productivity!’ Is progression in employment high enough on the employer agenda?

Lifting the lid on the return to workplace toolkit

Living and working with obesity: Employers must break the cycle of workplace discrimination

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace: reflections from the IES conference

Working 9 ‘til 5…or 6? Or 7? Or 8?

Lockdown line management: new engagement strategies need to be deployed and HR support is key

Working from home one year on: valuable lessons have been learnt and now it’s time for employers to listen

Keeping the art of conversation alive

One for the 'road'? How can employers help staff who turn to alcohol during the latest lockdown?

Weight-based stigma occurs at every stage of the employment cycle – it needs to stop now

How are you feeling?

Informal care & employment in ‘Lockdown’ – Are we doing enough to help?

Why kindness at work should be more than just ‘random acts’

All at sea? How can research on the mental health of seafarers help us cope better with 'lockdown'?

Obesity stigma at work - the weight of evidence is growing

The line management conundrum – let’s hug and not squeeze our line managers

It's good to talk' - but is it always easy to?

World Mental Health Day: Raising both Awareness and Action at Work

“I have eyes. I have ears. I have feelings.” Obesity discrimination at work must be challenged more effectively

"We are always going to need temporary staff" - NHS staff shortages show no sign of slowing down

Group coaching: an effective intervention to support workers?

Working with participants - lessons from ReAct: focus on neurodiversity

Planning and Preparing for Later Life 2024

Slides - supporting unpaid carers in the workplace: a lived experience perspective

Out of sight, not out of mind: The importance of line management in the virtual world for employee wellbeing and performance

Over-50s employment support

Work and health: international comparisons with the UK

Slides: Improving employer support for those working with cancer

Supporting healthy lifestyles among young adults in the workplace

Improving employer support for those working with cancer: The Bevan report

Primary care career: case studies

Teachers' professional development journeys

Fairness and wellbeing

Neurodiversity, jobsearch and work – a review of the evidence

Obesity stigma and employment in the Netherlands

Slides: Mental health at work

Slides: Out of sight not out of mind

Job crafting and flexible working in general practice

Have organisations squeezed the ‘squeezed middle’ too much?

Lessons from Lockdown: No going back

HR Network event: What are we learning about managing a hybrid workforce?

Perspectives on HR 2021

Returning to the workplace after Covid-19

Living and working with obesity

Working well? How the pandemic changed work for people with health conditions

Out of sight, not out of mind

Working from Home under Covid-19 Lockdown

Shut Out: How employers and recruiters are overlooking the talents of over 50s workers

Webinar: Obesity Stigma at Work: Improving Inclusion & Productivity

Obesity stigma at work

Health and Wellbeing Interventions in Healthcare

Revamping labour market enforcement in the UK

Demonstrating the effectiveness of workplace counselling

The Journey from Health and Safety to Healthy and Safe

IES Working at Home Wellbeing Survey

The Squeezed Middle: Why we should be hugging and not squeezing line managers

Progression in Employment: Employer initiatives in relation to progression in employment

Progression in Employment: Employer Toolkit & Case Study Collection

Obesity and Work

Progression in Employment

Designing and testing a return on investment tool for EAPs

Slides: Mental health and work

The effectiveness and cost effectiveness of ways to help older workers plan and prepare for retirement

The effectiveness and cost effectiveness of methods of protecting and promoting the health of older workers

Workplace policy and management practices to improve the health of employees: Evidence Review 3

Workplace policy and management practices to improve the health of employees: Evidence Review 2

Workplace policy and management practices to improve the health of employees: Evidence Review 1

Slides: The importance of line managers for employee wellbeing

El estigma de la obesidad y el empleo en España

Healthcare professionals, obesity and employment

Factors facilitating or constraining interventions to protect and promote health of older workers and to help plan and prepare for retirement

Teachers’ professional development journeys

Slides: obesity stigma at work

The Future of Health and Work

Dinner and roundtable discussion, KareHero, 01 October 2025

Supporting Informal Carers: Strategies for Tackling Poverty and Improving Access to Support

Public Policy Exchange webinar, Public Policy Exchange, 03 July 2025

The truth about employee wellbeing: Is your company getting it wrong?

Wellbeing thinkers series: The Watercooler Event 2025, Working Well Community, 23 June 2025

Return to work, financial wellbeing and good managers

Evolve Workplace Wellbeing Anniversary, Evolve Workplace Wellbeing Podcast, 21 May 2025

Staying in work - How employers and policy makers can improve workplace retention

Yorkshire and Humber Good Work, Health and Skills Summit, Leeds Health and Social Care Hub, 11 December 2024

Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA) conference

Announced as a Friend and host of Annual Awards, 14 November 2024

Mental health at work: Why good evidence, good work and good management matters

Bajorek Z, HR Professional Future of Work Conference (Greece), 03 April 2024

The Right to Disconnect: Rhetoric vs Reality

Bajorek Z, Health and wellbeing at work conference 2024, 13 March 2024

Panel Discussion: The Link Between Leadership and Its Relationship to Health and Wellbeing at Work

Bajorek Z, Health and wellbeing at work conference 2024, 13 March 2024

Caring and Employment - What Can Organisations do to Support Working Carers?

Bajorek Z, Health and wellbeing at work conference 2024, 12 March 2024

Obesity and Employment - What is The Role of Organisational Interventions for Health and Diet?

Bajorek Z, Health and wellbeing at work conference 2024, 12 March 2023

ICT's and future of work - how to analyze the current changes in the work environment

Bajorek Z, World Summit on the Information Society, April 2021

The future of work post Covid

Bajorek Z, Westminster Insights, January 2021

What we can do to achieve change in equality, diversity and inclusion

Bajorek Z, Citizens Advice Annual Conference, November, 2019

Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work: The Importance of Good Work

Bajorek Z, Health and Safety at Work: Reducing Workplace Risks and Creating Better, Safer Working Conditions, Government Events, London, July 2019

Obesity at work: challenging stigma and discrimination

Bajorek Z, Obesity at work: challenging stigma and discrimination, European Association for the study of Obesity (EASO), Annecy, France, July 2019

The impact of obesity on employment

Bajorek Z, EASO Policy Conference 2019: The Social and Economic Impact of Preventing and Treating Obesity, European Association for the Study of Obesity, Brussels, May 2019

That HR Podcast #9: That HR Podcast's Festive Bonanza

Willmott B, Bajorek Z, Lovell J, Pointer T, Burt E, Brown L, That HR Podcast, People Management, [Online], December 2018

Long-term sickness absence: a biopsychosocial survey

Bajorek Z, Ballard J, The At Work Partnership seminar: Managing long-term sickness absence: a biopsychosocial approach, The At Work Partnership, London, December 2018

Panel discussion: Disruptive technologies and the future of HR

Bajorek Z, Burton R, Barozzi G, Williams C, Future of Work Summit 2018, Symposium, London, October 2018