Two out of five employers improve workplace policies after using the Acas Helpline, according to a new study.
Employment contracts are the biggest grey area for callers seeking advice from the Acas Helpline, closely followed by issues around dismissal, discipline and grievance new research from Acas found.
The Acas helpline offers a free confidential service for employers and employees providing impartial advice on any workplace issue.
Two out of five (42%) of employers changed or improved existing workplace policies as a result of their call to Acas, providing a lasting impact on workplaces.
Other findings in the survey include 93 percent of callers saying they were stratified with the Acas Helpline, 96 percent of callers said they would recommend it to a friend or colleague, nine out of ten people found the information valuable and agreed that their expert Helpline advisor had fully answered their enquiry.
Andrew Wareing, chief operating officer, said:
“These latest findings demonstrate how much the public value our Helpline and appreciate the workplace expertise they receive from our staff. It is encouraging to see that many employers have made long lasting changes for the better in their workplaces thanks to Acas advice. A simple phone call to our helpline can really nip problems in the bud before they become a potential problem for businesses. With around 900,000 calls every year, the service gives us a really good picture of what’s troubling both employers and employees. It is clear that ’employment contracts’ is a top concern for many callers.”
The research also revealed that two thirds (64%) of callers who had used Acas’ Helpline Online tool before calling the helpline felt it helped them prepare for the call. Helpline Online is a web-based question and answer service for employers and employees to compliment the Helpline telephone service.
Andrew added:
“Helpline Online is free, available 24/7 and a good way for getting quick fire answers at your fingers tips at any time of the day. It can serve as a one stop shop for answers that might be needed in the heat of the moment or as a first port of call before speaking with one of our expert Helpline advisers.”
Amie Filcher is an editorial assistant at HRreview.
