Job quality has gone ‘backwards’ in the past four years, according to the latest research from the CIPD on workers’ engagement and stress levels.
The CIPD’s Good Work Index for 2023 estimates that between 6 million and 9 million people could be experiencing “poor quality” work, and compared to 2019, employees are less enthused about work, less likely to perceive their job as useful, and more likely to see their work as “doing it for the money”.
Forty-three per cent of workers said their work was purely transactional in the 2023 survey compared to 36% in 2019. Fewer workers are prepared to put in more discretionary effort, it found, with 51% happy to put extra work in than needed in 2023, compared to 57% in 2019.
Less than half (49%) feel enthusiastic about their job “always or often”, down from 54% in 2019. Furthermore, a third sometimes feel bored at work, 26% sometimes feel miserable, and 21% sometimes feel lonely.
CIPD Good Work Index
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Employees in the public sector are more likely to feel disengaged with their work, the Index showed.
More than a third (35%) of public sector workers said their work had a negative impact on their mental health versus 25% of private sector workers. They were also more likely to feel their pay did not reflect the responsibilities of their job (45% compared to 32% in the private sector.
Public sector workload was also an issue, with 42% feeling there was “too much or far too much” work to get through compared to 29% in the private sector.
The HR body has called for urgent action to improve job quality in what it describes as a “slow slide into mediocrity”.
“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,” said Jake Young, a research associate at the CIPD.
The CIPD added that many workers were moving jobs because they were seeking better pay and benefits (34%), meaning employers should consider more flexible and attractive job design to retain workers and address labour supply challenges.
A quarter of those polled said they found it difficult to meet personal commitments because of time spent at work, with carers more likely to say this was the case.
And despite changes in attitudes since the pandemic, 44% of workers said they could still not access homeworking, 46% could not access flexitime and 47% could not reduce their hours to become part time.
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The CIPD wants the government to revamp the labour market enforcement system to improve worker protections and job quality, including better access to careers information “to help workers at all stages make better informed choices on training, qualifications and careers”.
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