Only 39% of jobs are classified as being ‘good’, according to a new report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The report, Reflections on employee well-being and the psychological contract, is based on a survey that explores trends in employee attitudes to work and relationships with managers and colleagues to provide a consistent baseline against which UK organisations can benchmark their own employment relationships.
Based on people’s reported experiences in the workplace, jobs are categorised in terms of two key factors: excitement and stress.
‘Good’ jobs are defined as those that people find exciting but not too stressful.
Nic Marks, head of well-being research at the new economics foundation and co-author of the report said: “Interest and excitement are key elements in the psychological contract between employers and employees. If employees don’t feel their role is exciting this will be reflected in their lack of commitment, underperformance and satisfaction.
“Employers should look to create a balance between the challenges of the job and the individual’s abilities if employees are to flourish in their roles. This will ultimately help to create good jobs, and good jobs not only benefit employees and the organisation but ultimately society as a whole.”
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Mike Emmott, CIPD employee relations adviser, said that most jobs could be made interesting, or even exciting, if they were well managed.
“The evidence suggests that most employers need to work a lot harder to get the best from their staff. They need to see that line managers understand and buy into the people management policies they are expected to deliver. This means convincing managers of the value of these policies and helping them to understand the consequences of not handling them well,” he said.
