Publications

This report details the results of a project undertaken jointly by IES and the Science Policy Research Unit. The project developed a range of skills indicators and calculated total factor productivity growth, which is a productivity measure that takes account of hours worked and capital input.

The IES research summarised in this report used nine case studies to investigate how organisations plan their training and development activities, how training budgets are managed and where they sit, which processes are used to link training with business needs and how effectively these appear to operate.

The research aimed to identify factors that might contribute to under-reporting of accidents and incidents of learners, primarily apprentices and those on entry to employment programmes. It consisted of a literature review, interviews with the Learning and Skills Council regional health and safety managers, a review of the data on accident reports, focus groups with learners, a survey of learning providers and a survey of employers.

In the early 2000s the UK call centre industry employed around 850,000 workers in more than 6,000 centres. And although there were fears that 'offshoring' - that is, moving operations to lower-cost countries, such as India and South Africa - would lead to a fall in employment levels, the UK industry continued to expand. A report commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) found in 2003 that employment in the UK call centre industry had risen by 250 per cent since 1995, and was continuing to add tens of thousands of agent positions each year.

Although it is a concept that has commanded considerable attention from academics, researchers and practitioners alike over the past ten to twenty years, performance management retains much of its 'grail' type quality for many organisations. In spite of its many iterations, designing, implementing and applying a performance management process that both adds value to business performance and creates a developmental, satisfying and rewarding place to work continues to challenge each layer of management and its HR partners.

This paper provides a practical overview of appreciative enquiry, the processes involved and the outcomes of managers and HR practitioners using it in their own organisations. On the strength of the authors' knowledge and experience, they have put together suggestions of situations where appreciative enquiry is particularly applicable.

The author discusses the history of CSR, and drivers behind it, and outlines what HR professionals have to offer in delivering their organisation's CSR agenda.

The permitted work rules (PWR) were introduced in April 2002 and replaced the existing provisions, commonly known as therapeutic work (TW). This report presents the findings from a final wave of research at the end of a three-year evaluation of the permitted work rules undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) in partnership with MORI.

This report explores the literature linking skills with business performance, and also the wider HR and High Performance literature and studies on engagement. It highlights a wide range of studies that provide evidence of benefits for individuals and organisations, from skills, training and development.

This report sets out the findings of a qualitative study of organisations' experiences of conducting equal pay reviews (EPRs). It is based on findings from 15 case studies which involved interviews with employer, trade union and line management representatives who had been involved in conducting an EPR.