The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and Frontier Economics are carrying out research on behalf of Acas. NatCen and Frontier Economics are independent research organisations which operate separately from Acas.
The research will help Acas understand and improve our individual conciliation service.
Individual conciliation is one of the main services offered by Acas. It helps employers and workers to resolve their disputes, without the need to go to an employment tribunal.
About the research
The research will look at:
- people's experiences of dealing with Acas
- why people choose to use or not use conciliation
- what helps disputes get resolved
- how satisfied people are with Acas's service
- the impact conciliation had on disputes and outcomes
- how the service could be improved
Read more about the evaluation of individual conciliation at NatCen.ac.uk
Taking part
Anyone who has recently been in contact with Acas about individual conciliation may be invited to take part. This includes:
- employers
- workers
- representatives
It does not matter if they have used conciliation or not.
You do not have to take part. All participants will be anonymous and Acas will not know who has taken part.
The decision to take part will not affect future dealings with Acas or any open claims.
What's involved
Participants will be asked to complete a short online survey. It will take about 20 minutes. This might be followed up with another survey and possibly a further interview. This is only if you agree to be contacted again.
NatCen may phone you after your invite to see how you are getting on. Calls will come from Brentwood (area code 01277).
Sharing contact details and confidentiality
Acas has shared your details with NatCen and Frontier Economics for this research. This is lawful under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. These laws allow public bodies to use personal data when it is necessary to carry out a task in the public interest. For Acas, this public task includes promoting good workplace relations and helping resolve employment disputes.
Your data will only be used for this research. It will be kept confidential and secure. Your responses will be anonymised, so Acas cannot identify you.
NatCen will delete your personal data after the study ends in 2027.
You can read more in the Acas privacy notice.
Contact
If you do not want to take part or have any questions, you can contact NatCen by:
- emailing AcasICSurvey@natcen.ac.uk
- calling 0800 783 5890
You can also contact Acas about this study by emailing research@acas.org.uk.