Manchester, England – Workplace dangers aren’t confined to a galaxy far, far away. From Death Star design flaws to poor stormtrooper performance and lack of proper PPE, workplace challenges span galaxies.
Ahead of Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you…), BrightHR have crunched the numbers on the various HR and health breaches that the Empire enacts upon the Death Star, comparing them to real world HR and health & safety stats.
Alan Price, CEO of BrightHR says “Our research reveals that while 1.2 million lives were lost to reactor flaws, as a result of bad planning and a lack of attention to worker safety, Earth isn’t winning any awards in this department either. There were 138 workplace deaths in 2023, many of which may have been avoided by employers adhering to their legal duties outlined in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
It should also go without saying that there is no place for violence in the workplace, but it seems that Darth Vader didn’t get that memo as he managed to choke no less than five employees throughout the trilogy. Arguably, the situation is even more alarming in the UK, where 469 workers are victims of workplace violence a year. Everyone should feel safe from violence in the workplace, so employers must do more to prevent these incidents by promoting a positive culture and addressing these incidents promptly and properly when they occur, taking a zero-tolerance approach.
On the other hand, Earth is winning the AI adoption race. Less than a fifth (17.4%) of The Empire’s workforce are droids, whereas almost a third (29%) of the UK workforce are using AI. In all fairness though, this is still pretty impressive from the Empire as they were pioneering AI use ‘a long time ago’ (…in a galaxy far far away).
One thing is certain, regardless of time and space, cyber-security issues can have disastrous consequences for any organisation. For the Empire, poor cyber-security resulted in the Death star plan being stolen and for the 612,000 UK businesses who experienced a cyber-attack in 2024, it likely resulted in significant financial costs, operational challenges and reputational damage.
Whether you’re battling Imperial pressure or worrying about 26.8 million colleagues experiencing work stress, one thing is clear – both galaxies need to step up their HR game”
Download the full HR Strikes Back infographic now to see how your organisation compares to the Empire. And may the (work)force be with you!
From stormtroopers missing 296 shots due to inadequate equipment to the Empire’s shocking 17.4% droid workforce (we’re actually ahead with 29% AI adoption), this galactic comparison puts workplace safety in a whole new dimension.
Whether you’re battling Imperial pressure or worrying about 26.8 million colleagues experiencing work stress, one thing’s clear: Both galaxies need better HR!