Tuesday 9 November 2021

No shame, no gain?

Do firms’ reputational concerns affect their compliance with labour market laws?

In-person event and live interactive webinar. Register to receive access link.

Businesses are responsible for ensuring they treat their workers fairly – from providing safe workplaces to paying staff the wages they’ve earned. But not all firms meet these standards at all times and, in the age of social media, public outcry at poor behaviour can swiftly cause businesses reputational damage. With the Government committed to improving labour market enforcement, understanding how to utilise firms’ reputational concerns may be key.

To what extent do firms alter their treatment of workers in order to improve their reputation? How effective is publicly ‘naming and shaming’ poor behaviour in encouraging businesses to comply with work regulations, such as paying workers the minimum wage? Are policy interventions such as regular inspections or fines more impactful deterrents? And how can policymakers best utilise these different interventions to maximise compliance?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new Resolution Foundation research on how firms’ concerns about their reputation affects their behaviour, we will hear from two leading experts on what more can be done to encourage businesses to comply with labour market rules.

The event will be open for a limited number of people to physically attend, and also broadcast via YouTube and the Resolution Foundation website. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event.