At a time when employment rights in the UK are evolving all the time, we look at how and why.

Alice Martin, Head of Research at the Work Foundation thinktank at Lancaster University, joins us to talk about the Employment Rights Act of 2025, and why it is important for you if you are in a job, seeking a job or looking to employ someone.

We look at the key issues around job insecurity, how this ties in with workers’ rights, the protections that are in place – and that are still needed – how health impacts working lives, and the struggles of finding jobs in an increasingly competitive (and restricted) market.

Alice tells us how workers’ right have (and have not) changed over the years; what the Employment Rights Act does – and aims to do; what the Fair Work Agency (and fair work) is; and how the Act ties in with flexible working, unfair dismissals, and statutory sick pay.

And we look at what might come next, how employers might look to circumvent some powers of the act through using gig workers, the need for working lives to be sustainable and not lead to burnout, and the potential for AI to help workers, not just take their jobs.

Plus, do academics really like to complain all the time? Are employment tribunal PDFs really that interesting? And if there is no such thing as a zero-hours contract, then why do we hear so much about them?!

Find out more about the Work Foundation here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/

Read a short piece from Alice on the potential future of workers’ rights: https://doc.your-brochure-online.co.uk/Lancaster-University_FiftyFourDegrees_Issue_25/18/

Discover the Fair Work Agency here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/fair-work-agency

The example of a regional approach to ensuring decent work that Jan mentioned from Manchester can be found here: https://www.gmgoodemploymentcharter.co.uk/

And this report (produced through a partnership between the UK Government and the Pentland Centre) presents an evidence summary of effective prevention and detection of labour exploitation: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69d4d224019a4faf2745b385/decent_work_a_review_of_evidence_for_effective_prevention_and_detection_of_labour_exploitation.pdf

Episode Transcript

Can you be a scientist and an activist at the same time? Where do you draw the line between being a detached expert and stepping on the front lines of climate change protests?

Dr Samuel Finnerty, from Lancaster University’s Department of Psychology, joins us to discuss individual and group climate change activism from social and psychological perspectives.

Sam explains how his background in anthropology, cognitive science and psychology brought him to have an interest in activism, and how and why scientists become involved in these activities.

We learn about the shape of modern-day climate change protests, including Insulate Britain, Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil in the UK; what it means to be disruptive in this activism; the importance of media coverage to their cause – and what this coverage looks like; how the public react to acts of civil disobedience; and if they might ever be counterproductive.

We look at how have systems around the world have reacted to disruptive protests; the frustrations scientists feel in wanting to get their messages across; how academics can remain objective if they are also activists; whether the public can still trust researchers if they take these strong public stances; and consider potential comparisons with scientists speaking out on environmental issues and those who used to endorse alcohol or smoking.

Paul wonders if Jan would have fitted in with Father Ted’s protest marches, we consider the difficulty of getting academics to agree on anything, and ask if you don’t have a white lab coat, are you still a scientist?

For a summary of Sam’s work, see here: https://theconversation.com/how-climate-scientists-balance-the-tension-between-research-and-public-protest-new-study-274916 and here: https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000828

His co-authored research paper on Just Stop Oil that he mentions is here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-026-00347-5

And his research profile is here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sci-tech/about-us/people/samuel-finnerty

Episode Transcript

Why would a global company take a public stance on racial equality? Why would your favourite ice cream brand be vocal on climate change?

Lewis Nicholas is a PhD researcher in Lancaster University Management School, and he is here to talk to us about how and why businesses take a stand on contentious socio-political issues.

We find out how corporate political activism first emerged, what makes for a contentious issue, why and how businesses have switched from being the targets of protest to being on the side of protestors, and what companies do in support of their stances.

Lewis tells us why it can be just as risky for a company to try to sit in the middle on issues as it is to take a definitive position on one side or the other, tells us what the Colin Kaepernick example and his work with Nike and on racial equality show us, and considers how companies take messages beyond one day or one month of the year.

But are we cynical to think companies only act on an issue when it is specifically in their profit-making interests? Do they risk trivialising causes? Does the tech industry just look which way the political winds are blowing before taking a stance? And we consider whether this activism is all just woke capitalism, or whether conservative activism is a thing as well.

We get caught up in the bad puns that make up Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavour names; discuss Michael Jordan’s views on whether politics and business should mix; consider whether it is normal for Jan to have a favourite company; and get lost among the Jenners and Kardashians.

Find out more about Lewis and his research here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/lewis-nicholas

This is an example of corporate political activism from Absolute: https://www.absolut.com/en-us/leading-with-pride/

And here is another example from Ben & Jerry’s: https://www.benjerry.co.uk/values

Episode Transcript