Our academics shared valuable insights into their research at the sixth Fairness to Work conference, which took place in January at the Alliance Manchester Business School. Professor Karen Niven, Associate Dean of One University and Professor of Organisational Psychology, opened the conference as a keynote speaker with her speech: ‘Tolerating Evil: The role of bystanders in workplace bullying’. Karen explored how third-party witnesses could in theory play a role in stopping conflict from escalating to workplace bullying and the reasons why such bystanders often do not intervene. Karen drew on findings from her and her colleagues' research to provide suggestions on interventions that could prevent bullying from occurring in the workplace.
Many academics representing the Centre for Decent Work (CDW) had the opportunity to present their research. Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations Dr Edward Yates presented a paper co-authored with Professor Jason Heyes and Dr Kaidong Yu. The paper was titled ‘Transitions of Young Workers in the UK Labour Market: Consequences for careers, earnings, health and wellbeing’ and funded by ESRC (UKRI Economic and Social Research Council). The research focused on young workers in the ‘missing middle’ who are neither graduates nor NEETs and examined labour market opportunities and employment conditions.
Lecturer in Work & Employment Dr Valeria Insarauto presented her solo-authored paper entitled ‘Perceived Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An enabling or opposing factor?'. Insarauto’s paper offers insights into how individual perceptions of discrimination can be considered an indicator of hostile working environments and can therefore contribute to informing risk assessment and prevention programmes to reach the most vulnerable groups of female workers.
Finally, Research Associate Dr Joyce Mamode and Lecturer in Work & Employment Dr Safak Tartanoglu Bennett presented a co-authored paper: ‘Fair Deal for Last Mile Delivery?’. The paper draws from the research project ‘Exploring Work and Employment in Last Mile Parcel Delivery’ led by Chair in Employment Relations Professor Kirsty Newsome in collaboration with Professor Sian Moore of Anglia Ruskin University.
The Centre of Decent Work (CDW) was well represented at the event as the Centre is a founding member of the new network Work-Net International. This global network brings together centres of excellence in work and employment research. Work-Net International comprises 31 leading research centres and institutes from across the world coordinated by Manchester's Work & Equalities Institute. CDW is one of only three other UK centres/institutes invited to participate; a testament to CDW's growing national and international profile. Director of CDW and Professor of Employment Relations Jason Heyes participated in Work-Net's launch activities during the Fairness to Work conference, which laid the ground for future international research collaborations and other potential activities focused on teaching and postgraduate researchers.
“It is inspiring to see such vital and diverse contributions from colleagues from the Institute for Work Psychology and the Centre for Decent Work at Sheffield University Management School, underlining the importance of cross-disciplinary work at a global scale to address these critical challenges in modern workplaces.”
Damian Hodgson
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation