In the 21st century, we recognise that it is not enough for a job to simply provide us with a source of income. Workers deserve jobs that also give them a reason to look forward to going to work in the morning, or at least not to actively dread it. Work is a huge and important component of everyday life for the majority of people for the majority of their existence. It is therefore obvious that working well is a vital ingredient for living well. If we want good lives, we need good work.
This report brings together 16 perspectives from the worlds of academia, policymakers, employers and trade unions to shed light on what good work means in modern Britain, why it matters, and what can be done to bring it about. From discussions around the nature of meaningfulness in work or what the future of technology holds for workers, to very practical guides around how certain employers and staff forums have made a real difference to the working lives of their employees, the 16 chapters in this report have their own unique and valuable points to make. What they all have in common, however, is a common commitment to working towards the ambition outlined by Matthew Taylor and endorsed by the Prime Minister last year, of ensuring that in future “all work is fair and decent.”