May Day – Maypoles or Workers’ Rights?
The UK weather finally delivered, and provided us with a sunshine-filled bank holiday Monday earlier this week. It was a joy to see people enjoying the outdoors and spending time with friends and family.
It is easy to forget the origins of the early May bank holiday in the UK, which traditionally marked the blossoming of Spring with maypole dances and members of the community being crowned May Kings and Queens, whilst people feasted on some of the first harvests of the summer season. More recently, of course, the public holiday is in place to recognise International Labour Day on 1st May, a day of protest, solidarity and advocacy for workers rights, fair conditions and wages. A large, peaceful rally was held in London and in several other cities around the UK.
There is undoubtedly a link between the theme of workers’ rights and the Gallup report on employee engagement levels that we discussed last week. If employees feel that they are being treated unfairly, engagement levels quickly decline which leads to a breakdown of organisational culture, a lack of trust, and ultimately resignations. Not only will this affect up-front costs, but it will also have a negative impact on the bottom line.
So, what can be done to mitigate declining engagement levels?
- Be transparent and communicative – maintain open channels of communication through staff forums, feedback forms and regular performance reviews
- Provide training and development – ensure employees have access to development opportunities not simply relevant to their current role, but also their future career aspirations
- Promote flexibility – hybrid working has become the norm in many organisations and allows employees to juggle competing pressures on their time whilst maintaining a work-life balance and remaining productive
- Ensure workplace health and safety – we talk regularly about psychological safety, but it is equally important that employees feel physically safe in their workplace. Organisations that prioritise a safe, well-maintained environment find that employees enjoy spending time in it
- Act on your DEI statements – if an organisation says that they treat everyone equally, embrace diversity and celebrate differences, employees want to see proof of this. Work on the actions, not just the words
To mark this year’s International Labour Day, we want to celebrate the huge contributions of all employees, across all industries, and recognise that we all have a part to play in driving the global economy forward. Let’s keep our boats moving ahead and make every effort to avoid calls of May Day from our teams! You’re In Cool Company!
