26/06/2023
New research from the CIPD exploring the quality of UK working lives has been released today, suggesting there has been a negative shift in how people think about and value their work.
The CIPD’s Good Work Index 2023 finds that most people like their work and find it satisfying. However, as many as 6-9 million workers, experience poor-quality work in some major respects. CIPD’s survey indicators show that there has been no significant improvement in job quality in the past four years and, in some respects, job quality has gone backwards. Compared to 2019, workers today are less enthused about work, less likely to perceive their work as useful and more likely to simply see work as purely transactional – simply for the money.
In response to this shift, the CIPD is calling on businesses and the Government to renew their focus on good work and improving job quality, citing the significant lack of progress on this agenda since the Government’s Good Work Plan was published in 2019.
Jake Young, research associate at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, comments: “Despite the upheaval of recent years, most UK workers remain broadly positive about their jobs. However, there’s a mixed experience of job quality, especially between the private sector and public sector roles, and as many as nine million people stand to have poor quality work in some key respects. Not all jobs can be transformed, but significant improvements in areas such as training, development, and people management should be possible.
“Our data suggests a slow slide into mediocrity, away from enriching and rewarding jobs and towards roles where many people are demotivated, lack commitment and are less productive. Work can and should be good for us. It’s vital that the Government and employers renew their commitment to good work as it’s fundamental to supporting individual wellbeing, fair society, productive organisations and a strong economy.”
The CIPD surveyed 5000 UK workers across seven key dimensions of good work: pay and benefits, contracts, work-life balance, job design and nature of work, relationships at work, employee voice, and health and wellbeing. From the results, the CIPD has identified three key areas that Government and employers must address to support better working lives:
A renewed policy focus on ‘good work’ and improving job quality is needed:
The gap between the quality of working life in the public sector versus the private sector must be narrowed to address current challenges and attract future workers:
We must make work more flexible and more attractive if there is to be a sustainable solution to major labour supply challenges:
The report concludes with a number of practical recommendations to improve job quality, including:
For policy-makers
And for employers:
Identify and manage skills mismatches to engage, satisfy and develop staff.
Original Article: HRnews
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