Decent Work, Decent Life

When it comes to work, it’s not just the level of pay that matters to employees but the broader quality of employment. Low-paid work, however, is more likely to feature characteristics that make it hard for employees to speak of it as ‘decent work’.

Studying ‘decent work’

The nature and experience of work, as well as security and rewards from it, have all changed significantly in recent decades. While a quick glance at British headline unemployment rates in recent years might suggest a healthy labour market, this masks a number of underlying trends. Increasingly, large numbers of people experience work which is insecure, does not provide enough regular hours and is paid at levels which do not allow them to live above the poverty line. As a result, in-work poverty is growing in Britain, with all its consequences.

Decent work’ – the findings

The findings indicate a significant degree of consensus as to what matters to low-paid workers in relation to ‘decent work’. In total, 26 factors were identified as ones which ‘make work decent’, ranked by research participants. The top five in order of importance were:

• sufficient pay to cover basic needs;

• job security;

• paid holidays and sick leave;

• a safe working environment;

• and a supportive line manager

How to make work ‘more decent’

Since none of the top five priorities are unreasonable or extravagant, governments on both the Scottish and British level and business can make a difference. To promote decent work more widely, we outline a number of recommendations for employers, policymakers and others. Among others, these include:

• Governments should enforce existing basic employment conditions and improve them.

• Governments should create a decent work index based on the priorities of low paid workers, given that they are the most likely to experience low quality work.

• Governments should establish Decent Work Ombudsmen tasked with investigating poor working practices and driving up standards.

• Governments should use the lever of procurement to encourage business to foster more decent work

• Employers should pay the voluntary living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

• Employers should ensure written contracts are in place for all employees .

• Employers should report annually on the number and percentage of temporary and irregular contracts in their business and seek to minimise their use

• Employers should provide paid holiday and sick leave above the statutory minimum.

Improving the quality of work should be an important focus for those policy-makers wanting to address poverty and health inequalities. If arguments beyond the normative ones are needed, then ‘decent work’ can also be argued to benefit individual businesses. These positive effects of ‘decent work’ on the individual business have knock-on effects on the wider economy, too.

Source:

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/what-is-decent-work-and-how-can-it-be-achieved/