New polling commissioned by Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has found that 30% of workers in Scotland who were aware of conflict in their organisation over the last three years said it had increased, compared with just 7% who reported a decrease.

The findings come ahead of major new employment law reforms and amid rising demand for Acas services. In response, the organisation has launched a five-year strategy to modernise the way workplace disputes are handled across Britain.

Acas Chief Executive Niall Mackenzie said: “Businesses in Scotland are doing much to promote productivity and economic growth, but our poll shows that there is more we can do to tackle conflict and help Scottish businesses grow and flourish.

“Our strategy for the next five years will give employers and workers across Scotland the skills and knowledge they need for the healthy employment relations that prevent conflict and promote growth.”

The new strategy aims to reduce the cost of conflict, which Acas research estimates at £28.5 billion a year, by focusing on prevention, management and earlier resolution of disputes.

Key measures include:

• Preventing more disputes before they arise by targeting industries and groups where conflict is most likely.

• Supporting employers to manage conflict well through clear guidance, tools and training.

• Equipping workers and employers with the skills and confidence to resolve problems earlier, including doubling the number of SMEs Acas helps to manage conflict.

• Harnessing technology and data more effectively to direct Acas resources where they can have the greatest impact.

• Driving innovation in dispute resolution, maintaining current settlement rates (70% for individual disputes and 90% for collective disputes) while exploring the use of AI and new digital services to make support faster and more accessible.

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Survey data from YouGov shows that across Britain, 10% of workers said conflict had increased significantly over the past three years, 20% reported a slight increase, 26% said it stayed the same, 3% reported a slight decrease, 4% a significant decrease, 12% said they did not know, and 26% reported no workplace conflict at all.

Acas’s research highlights that the greatest share of workplace conflict costs arises from resignations (£11.9 billion annually) and disciplinary dismissals (£10.5 billion). By contrast, an individual meeting involving a manager and trade union representative costs £188.52.