“Some things change, some stay the same…”
The soulful voice of Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of the rock band The Pretenders, repeats these words in a beautiful song called “Hymn to her”. It’s a deceptively simple line which, in a way, tells you all you need to know about life.
But the words came to mind the other day while I was attending an excellent IPA seminar in London – “amplifying employee voice for the future of work”. It wasn’t just the happy reunion of some familiar faces and industrial relations veterans which had me waxing lyrical – although that helped. It was also the overwhelming sense conveyed in a range of first class presentations that while the world is clearly changing and new challenges arise, at the same time some of the oldest questions surrounding the management of people and the organisation of work remain more or less unaltered.
Colleagues from the University of Strathclyde showed how collective representation could be the most effective way of making sure that employee voices are heard, if management is ready to engage. And colleagues from Queen’s University, Belfast and the University of Manchester revealed the potential vulnerability of workers in the growing warehousing and “fulfilment centre” sector to not being heard – although there was also some good practice to report.
So these were pointers as to how new modes of employment could create difficulties – “some things change” – and also a reminder that informal channels (impromptu 1:1s, for example) could be more effective than slow-moving annualised performance management processes – “some stay the same”.
All this means that management practices are, once again, in the spotlight, and rightly so. Management, it seems to me, is fundamentally a question of paying attention, noticing what is going on, and taking action in good time as needed (whether to praise or put people right). It’s about offering direction and support, and knowing when which is required. It’s as simple and as difficult as that. There should be an ongoing (if interrupted) conversation going on between a manager and his or her people. This means, of course, a two-way dialogue, not just a speech or, worse, barked orders.
It is vital that employees believe that they have functioning channels through which they can make their views and experiences known. But while “employee voice” is one thing, actually being listened to is another. And this is why I describe management as being a question of noticing and paying attention. No-one wants to talk to a brick wall. And employees lose faith when a so-called “consultation exercise” seems to result in no change whatsoever to what management had originally proposed.
With the arrival of the new employee rights act some business leaders will be – unduly, I think – nervous about certain limited but enhanced rights and what increased employee representation might mean for them. Good managers do not fear hearing what employees have to say. They know that customer-facing staff, in particular, can form an early warning system when things are going wrong. They can also share ideas and good practice. A clearer and more confident employee voice should not be something to worry about…unless you are an insecure or incompetent manager.
And, let’s face it, the British economy could do with a bit of a boost. Having engaged and motivated employees would help. For all that some business leaders have championed greater flexibility for many years, and criticised the employee rights act for, as they see it, reducing flexibility, there is no evidence in our flatlining productivity figures that this kind of flexibility has done anything to improve economic performance over the past two decades. It’s beyond time for all of us, employers and employees, to step up and raise our game.
This is why good management is going to be needed. And for all that the HR profession is getting regularly maligned these days in certain newspapers and media outlets, as Prof Niall Cullinane from Queen’s pointed out at the seminar, an absence of proper HR skills, especially in SMEs, could leave employees exposed and could continue to undermine economic performance.
There were many years of combined, valuable experience gathered in Westminster at this latest IPA event. British industrial relations were not always happy in the past, to put it mildly. Some lessons have been learned, and today’s legislative context is much altered. David Coats, a former head of the TUC’s economic and social affairs department in the John Monks era, wondered aloud if there is really an adequate institutional framework in place today to support and sustain the healthy and productive relationships at work that we need.
His caution is justified. Much could still go wrong. But I left the event feeling guardedly optimistic. It was good to get the band back together. And we will need some industrial, sorry, (virtual) workplace harmony in the challenging months and years to come.
Stefan Stern
March 2026