Work can and should be a force for good that benefits people and societies as much as it benefits business and the economy. At the CIPD, we believe that all jobs have the potential to be better and we should aspire to making good work a reality for all. 

Explore our resources to gain insights into measuring job quality and creating value at work.

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Reports

Research and analysis by experts from CIPD and partner organisations

12 Reports about Job quality
Report
CIPD Good Work Index: Northern Ireland
A Northern Ireland summary of the CIPD Good Work Index 2024 survey report
Report
CIPD Good Work Index: Wales
A Wales summary of the CIPD Good Work Index 2024 survey report
Report
CIPD Good Work Index: North of England
A North of England summary of the CIPD Good Work Index 2024 survey report
Report
CIPD Good Work Index
The CIPD Good Work Index provides an annual snapshot of job quality in the UK, giving insight to drive improvement to working lives
Report
Talking about voice: Employees’ experiences
Highlights the key insights that people professionals should consider to drive better people management practice
Report
Hidden figures: the missing data from corporate reports
A study of people risk and workforce reporting by UK FTSE 100 organisations
Report
Power dynamics in work and employment relationships
Explores the complexities of power in the employment relationship and how employees can best shape their working lives
Report
Creating and capturing value at work: who benefits?
Understand who benefits from current business models and value creation by organisations
Report
Understanding and measuring job quality
Explores and reviews the academic literature and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the existing measures of job quality.
Report
Have your say: Alternative forms of workplace voice
Explores different perspectives on employee voice in the modern world of work
Report
Megatrends: Are we working harder than ever?
This report reveals that we are experiencing greater workloads and pressures to meet deadlines, customer demands and performance targets
Report
Megatrends: The trends shaping work and working lives
The purpose of this report is to highlight some of the key trends that have been shaping our economies and the world of work

Case studies

Learn from real world examples of how other people professionals and organisations work with the CIPD to approach key challenges and objectives.

22 Case studies about Job quality
Case study
Good Work Stories
Read our case studies from different people in different professions to understand how we can make work better for everyone.
Case study
My Working Life: Funeral Operative
Hear from Funeral Operative, Dean, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My Working Life: Project Manager – Adoption Charity
Hear from Project Manager, Nigel, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My Working Life: Contact Centre Advisor
Hear from Contact Centre Advisor, Sheena, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My Working Life: Prison Treatment Manager
Hear from Prison Treatment Manager, Briony, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My Working Life: Warehouse Team Leader
Hear from Warehouse Team Leader, Eric, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My Working Life: Audio Equipment Engineer
Hear from Audio Equipment Engineer, John, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My Working Life: Care Worker
Hear from Care Worker, Alex, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My Working Life: Musician
Hear from Musician, Darren, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My Working Life: Police Constable
Hear from Police Constable, James, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My Working Life: Parish Clerk
Hear from Parish Clerk, Emma, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My Working Life: Nutritionist
Hear from Nutritionist, Elsa, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My working life: Paramedic
Case study from Paramedic, Stuart, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My working life: Housing Association area manager
Case study from Housing Association Area Manager, Liam, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My working life: Equality, diversity and inclusion manager
Case study from an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Jacquie, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My working life: Livestock farmer
Case study from Livestock farmer, James, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My working life: Heavy goods and heavy plant driver
Case study from Heavy Goods and Plant Driver, Fraser, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in his experience
Case study
My working life: HR administrator
Case study from HR Administrator, Caroline, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My working life: Head chef
Case study from Head chef, Melissa, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My working life: Pharmacist
Case study from Pharmacist, Amina, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
My working life: Secondary school teacher
Case study from secondary school teacher, Sarah, on the highs and lows of working life and the different ways that job quality plays out in her experience
Case study
Championing good quality work across London: GLA
Case study on championing good quality work across London

Thought leadership

Insight and foresight from our experts in people and the world of work

Four Thought leadership about Job quality
Thought leadership
Has work become less secure?
Examining the evidence on employment security
Thought leadership
How can we build good work beyond COVID-19?
Rachel Suff considers CIPD's latest Good Work Index report and highlights the need for employers to improve how they manage and support the wellbeing of their staff
Thought leadership
Coronavirus and the workforce: low pay does not equal low value
The coronavirus pandemic makes it clearer than ever that the roles we need most as a society are not necessarily the ones we value. This must change.
Thought leadership
The meaning of work
How do we find meaning in work? Are there meaningless jobs? How much of a role do managers play in helping people find meaning in their work?

Podcasts

Listen to episodes from our podcast series on a range of topical workplace, HR and L&D issues.

One Podcast about Job quality
Podcast
What’s hampering ‘good work’?
What are the barriers that stand in the way of achieving 'good work', and which need to be addressed as a priority?

Evidence reviews

Evidence reviews enable you to ask the critical questions and use evidence for better decision-making.

One Evidence review about Job quality
Evidence review
Impact of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation technologies on work
Adds evidence to the ongoing debate on how emerging technologies are shaping the world of work and the arising ethical issues
For Members

Bitesize research

Your regular overview of current research, inspiring insights and cutting-edge ideas in bitesize

13 Bitesize research about Job quality
Bitesize research
The ethics of meaning and purpose at work
The ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for meaningful work
For Members
Bitesize research
Is your virtual team SMART?
The importance of focusing on the work design of virtual teams to make them more effective
For Members
Bitesize research
Post-pandemic employee retention: Lessons from the UK furlough scheme
Why keeping people in work through times of crisis should be a key goal of HR practice
For Members
Bitesize research
Are ‘green’ jobs good jobs?
Lessons from the UK and EU to inform labour market transitions
For Members
Bitesize research
Addressing skills gaps and poor job quality among disadvantaged groups
Employers and job seekers alike can benefit when they collaborate to develop training and employment opportunities through local skills eco-systems
For Members
Bitesize research
A good gig?
Assessing the quality of gig work and the importance of the lived experience
For Members
Bitesize research
Working to live, not living to work
Achieving work–life balance for multiple job holders
For Members
Bitesize research
Boundaryless careers in the gig economy
Explore the boundaryless career perspective
For Members
Bitesize research
Measuring UK job quality
Using ONS statistics to evaluate job quality across the UK
Bitesize research
Making a living or making a life?
Find out the impact of work-life balance practices
For Members
Bitesize research
Is your job useful to society?
Read more about the authors' findings here
For Members
Bitesize research
Job quality: the importance of occupational class
Discover the effect of occupational class on job quality
For Members
Bitesize research
How to create good work for blue-collar workers
See how blue-collar work is changing
For Members

Policy engagements

Our calls for action.

Two Policy engagements about Job quality
Policy engagement
Calling for an Autumn Statement that drives economic growth and supports better work and working lives in the UK
Read the CIPD’s November 2023 submission to His Majesty’s Treasury
Policy engagement
CIPD Manifesto for Good Work
We’re calling on the UK Government to create a long-term workforce strategy centred on skilled, healthy and fair work

Learning

We offer a range of evidence-based courses tailored to suit you and your needs.
Our Essential Insights courses are free as part of the CIPD membership.

Meaningful Work and Organisational Leadership Essential Insights

Define meaningful work and recognise its importance at multiple levels, demonstrating how organisation design and development contributes to performance and job quality.

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Learning shop

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