As the ‘baby boomer’ generation begins to join the ranks of the retired so policy makers must a fresh look at their behaviour as consumers, says a new study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Far from being simply media creations, it seems that the caricatures of ‘silver surfers’ and ‘Saga-louts’ have some basis in truth as the lives of older people increasingly mirror those of the rest of society in terms of their spending and leisure activities. [continue reading…]
Economic and Social Research Council
Teamworking and other modern employment practices can put as much strain on a woman’s family relationships as working an extra 120 hours a year, an extensive study of the British workforce funded by the Economic and Social Research Council suggests. The research finds that while British employers have maintained long-term career relationships with employees in spite of competitive market pressures, they have devised ways of extracting more effort and higher performance. These practices include team-based forms of work organization, individual performance-related pay, and policies that emphasize the development of individual potential. [continue reading…]
