Sharon Graham’s election as head of Unite shows workers facing new forms of exploitation need strong, diverse unionsThat the election of Sharon Graham as Unite’s new general secretary this week took many by surprise says much about today’s union moveme…
‘Sleep is venture capital’: employers wake up to benefits of a nap
After lockdown some businesses understand better how flexible working hours enhance productivityA three-hour break in the middle of the working day for a languorous lunch, followed by a restorative nap sounds like the Mediterranean dream, but employers…
Workers sacrificed plenty due to Covid, so let’s reward them with new rights | Owen Jones
Workplace democracy would allow us to come out of the pandemic with a greater sense of control over the futureWith most formal Covid restrictions all but melted away, freedom prevails. Back to the workplace, Tory ministers make demands of our newly lib…
UK food firms beg ministers to let them use prisoners to ease labour shortages
Meat processors and others say they must have more day release workers as they cannot find enough staffDesperate food manufacturers are pleading with the government to be able to call upon prisoners to solve a labour crisis blamed on the double blow of…
The Guardian view on chefs: underpaid, overworked and in demand | Editorial
An acute shortage of staff offers an incentive to improve a stressful working cultureWhite Heat, by Marco Pierre White, is one of the most influential recipe books of the past 30 years. Published in 1990, its edgy black and white photography popularise…
Disinfection robots and thermal body cameras: welcome to the Covid-free office
A workplace in Bucharest filled with anti-virus innovations could become the new normal in office design, its creators hopeExplainer: what are UK workers’ rights when asked to return?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNot so lo…
The Guardian view on high pay: the fat cats are still there | Editorial
Vast disparities in income may have lost some of their power to shock. But they remain a gross injusticePublic anger about the vast salaries extracted from business by the highest-paid people surfaces less often than one might expect, given highly cons…
I’m being asked to go back to the office, what are my rights in the UK?
The things you can and can’t ask for if your boss says your days of homeworking are overFirms grapple with homeworking puzzleYou can ask to work remotely on a permanent basis but your boss does not have to agree. Matt Gingell, an employment lawyer, say…
Office politics: firms still grappling with home working puzzle
Whether seen as an obstacle to overcome or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, home working is proving hard to avoidWhat are workers’ rights if they are asked to go back?As the pandemic struck wealthy economies in early 2020, workers (in white-collar job…
Tell us: have you changed careers during the pandemic?
We would like to hear from people who have changed careers during the Covid-19 pandemicWe would like to hear from people who have changed careers during – or even because of – the Covid-19 pandemic. Why did you make this decision? What has the transiti…