Flexible hours, sick pay and meals, workers in the UK get a better deal

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

For his manager, Barrie Chapman, the overtime he now gets is a huge boost once unheard of in the hospitality sector. Their regional manager Jen Eaton looks back in horror at the 14-hour shifts she once worked in casinos in heels with no break.

Like thousands of others in lower-paid sectors of the British economy, all three have benefited from a gradual improvement in employment terms since the global pandemic and Brexit forced companies to work harder to find staff in a tight labour market.

The shift follows years of warnings from unions and campaign groups that the balance of power in Britain had swung too far towards employers, leaving many lower-paid staff working unpredictable hours with poor benefits and little protection.

Nick Collins, CEO of Loungers which employs Eaton, Chapman and Hughes-Davies among 8,000 staff in restaurants and bars across Britain, said expectations of employees had risen.

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«And rightly so. The combination of Brexit and COVID have transformed the market,» he told Reuters.

Conversations with 18 company bosses, HR managers, a union, economists, recruitment groups and workers suggest big employers in hospitality, retail, logistics and security are all offering more flexibility over the hours people work, better financial support for sick leave or private healthcare and other perks.

Since the pandemic, U.S. giant Amazon UK has joined retailers Tesco and Marks & Spencer, as well as logistics group XPO and security company G4S, in offering flexible working contracts.

Global recruitment company Indeed told Reuters there has been a steady increase in the percentage of postings offering paid sick leave over the last 18