Good Work

Why Good Work?

Our research has shown that, more than any other single factor, access to good jobs will determine future prospects for people and places across the country.

Good work is more than employment. It is work that promotes dignity, autonomy and equality; work that has fair pay and conditions; work where people are properly supported to develop their talents and have a sense of community.

We know that access to good work confers protection for people and communities against health, social and economic shocks and helps them adapt to the technological transformations of AI and automation that are reaching into almost every workplace. Good work also fosters a sense of unity and solidarity, and is one of the means by which divisions that grew through the pandemic and have been sharpened by the cost-of-living crisis and inflation can be healed.

The Good Work Charter

The Good Work Charter provides an organising framework for aspiration, alignment and action to shape a fairer future of better work. It sets out ten fundamental principles of ‘good work’ – work that promotes dignity, autonomy and equality; work that has fair pay and conditions; work where people are properly supported to develop their talents and have a sense of community.

The Good Work Charter Toolkit provides the regulatory underpinning for Good Work Charter. Against each Charter principle we have mapped

• the international and national regulations that are synthesised by each of the Charter principles
• ‘soft’ law, codes and guidance available to help promote each of the Charter principles
• technology-specific guidance adopting each of the Charter principles for ready application in a workplace context

The Good Work Monitor / Time Series

In January 2021, we published the Good Work Monitor, building a detailed sub-regional map of access to good work across the country.

Each year since then we have updated this with new ONS data, forming a Good Work Time Series that plots trends in access to good work across all 203 Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales.

The Good Work Time Series 2022

The Good Work Time Series 2023

The Good Work Time Series 2024

The Good Work Algorithmic Impact Assessment

Artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic systems are increasingly used in the workplace, and designed, developed and deployed in ways which can transform people's access to good work.

Supported by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Grants Programme, we designed the Good Work Algorithmic Impact Assessment to help employers and engineers to involve workers and their representatives in the design, development and deployment of algorithmic systems so that risks are anticipated and managed, 'good work' is promoted, the law is complied with, innovative approaches are unlocked and trust in technology is built.

Read the guidance here.