As plans move forward to refine and improve the Employment Rights Panel, the deputy CEO of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation has emphasised this stipulation in a parliamentary hearing on Monday.

Appearing before an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Modernising Employment hearing (pictured), Kate Shoesmith warned that the final resulting zero-hours contracts elements must address the needs of both employers and workers who want flexibility in the system. Employers want flexibility to schedule their workforce in ways that meet customer needs and business requirements. Workers who choose to work flexibly, for a variety of reasons from caring responsibilities to continuing education, must be able to massage their work and life needs. 

“We need to make sure that it’s not one-sided flexibility, that it works for all parties,” Shoesmith said. She pointed out that in spite of thousands of permanent secondary school teaching vacancies, working as a supply teacher is the choice for many who could fill the permanent openings. “Meet them where they are… and make sure the practices support them in that fully,” she said.

“If we want to think about that, how do we maintain some transparency and consistency around zero-hours contracts people can request?” Shoesmith said.

Saying that the public sector employer practices, such as in the NHS, must be as closely examined and dealt with as with those in the private sector, Shoesmith added: “Good business practice relies on us going after the bad actors, not making life more difficult for the good employers who are trying to do the right thing every single day.”

The new Fair Work Agency, she said, is “so essential. It has to be resourced. It has to have the right people in it. It has to be funded”.

The 90-minute discussion included speakers from the Department of Trade and Business, the Institute of Employment Research and the London Care and Support Forum, amongst others. 

• See the May-June issue of Recruiter for additional insight.

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