Acas launches new strategy as polls show workplace conflict is rising

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has launched a new transformative five-year strategy as polling revealed over two in five workers say workplace conflict is rising, with pay, working patterns, and capability and performance now among the top causes.

New Acas-commissioned YouGov polling of over 1,000 employees in Great Britain finds that 44 per cent of workers who knew of conflict in their organisation over the last three years said it has increased, compared to just 13 per cent who say it has decreased.

To modernise how disputes at work are handled across Britain, Acas’ new strategy will help to support economic stability by reducing the cost of conflict – estimated to be £28.5 billion – through increased prevention, improved management, and earlier resolution of disputes.

Acas says this builds on strong results from its previous strategy, which saw record levels of disputes resolved without the need for a tribunal.

This comes as Acas experiences increased demand for its services and ahead of major new employment law reforms under the Employment Rights Bill.

Latest figures show Acas handled 117,000 individual disputes in 2024-25, the highest number since the covid-19 pandemic.

The new Acas strategy will:

• Prevent more disputes before they arise by targeting industries and groups where conflict is most likely.
• Support employers to manage conflict well with clear guidance, tools and training offers.
• Equip workers and employers with the skills and confidence to resolve problems earlier, including doubling the number of SMEs Acas is equipping to manage conflict well.
• Harness technology and data more effectively to focus Acas’s efforts where they can have the greatest impact.
• Drive innovation in dispute resolution, maintaining Acas’s record settlement rates (70 per cent for individual disputes and 90 per cent for collective disputes) while exploring the use of AI and new digital services to make support faster and more accessible.

Clare Chapman, Acas Chair, said: “The world of work is changing, and this is an ambitious strategy for a landmark period in Britain’s labour market history. Over our last Strategy period of 2021-25 Acas successfully changed the ways in which we work. This strategy sets out how Acas will contribute even further to improve British workplace relations. 

“We will do more to help prevent conflict arising. If conflict can’t be prevented, Acas will be there to help workplaces manage it by disagreeing well. And if conflict continues, Acas will help parties resolve disputes quickly and fairly. Working together, we can deliver lasting improvements to working life and contribute to Britain’s future economic growth.”

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Executive, commented: “Acas has an important role to play in supporting the economic growth that is needed to drive up living standards and fund public services. Rising employment costs are already colliding with flatlining productivity, forcing firms to make tough trade-offs about jobs, pay and working conditions, putting a strain on the relationships between employers and workers. At the same time, the unintended consequences of the Employment Rights Bill will mean an increase in workplace disputes that need to be resolved.

“Acas has rightly identified that its impartial support and early intervention will be more critical than ever in helping employers and employees navigate these threats and unlock the potential of the UK workforce.”