Employee Perspectives of the UK Workforce

How do CIPD define ‘Good Work’?

CIPD defines Good Work as work that:

• Is fairly rewarded and gives people the means to securely make a living.
• Allows for work-life balance.
• Gives opportunities to develop, and ideally a sense of fulfilment.
• Provides a supportive environment with constructive relationships.
• Gives employees the voice and choice they need to share their working lives.
• Is physically and mentally healthy for people.

It may not be realistic to make all jobs great in all ways, but employers should ensure that they are thinking creatively about how they can improve job quality with job design and HR practices.

What’s the general outlook for the UK labour market?

The UK labour market has continued to demonstrate resilience despite challenges related to increased living costs and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Levels of employment remain relatively high, as do unfilled vacancies.

There are signs of the UK labour market loosening, as employment growth slows and the estimated number of vacancies in the UK decreased by 9,000 on the quarter to 819,000 in November 2024 to January 2025. However, it’s important to note that the number of UK vacancies available are still above pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels – showing the demand for talent is still present. Nevertheless, concerns over productivity and the quality of jobs remain as acute as ever.

The proportion of employees having experienced conflict at work over 12 months dropped from 30% in 2019 to 25% in 2024. CIPD suggest the decline in rates over the last 5 years could also be a result of an increase in remote or hybrid working, meaning fewer conflicts are likely to happen in the office if people aren’t meeting there as regularly.

Experiencing conflict correlated with lower job satisfaction, poorer perceptions of pay appropriateness, and increased intentions to leave the job. So, while the decline in workplace conflicts is positive, businesses need to look into the 25% of people who still claim to be experiencing this.

Overall job satisfaction remains relatively high, with 70% of respondents expressing satisfaction.

Younger workers (under 35) reported slightly higher satisfaction levels (73%) compared to older age groups (69%).

Perceptions of appropriate pay have improved, with 51% agreeing their pay matches their responsibilities, up from 45% in 2019.

Work’s impact on health is mixed; 39% of respondents reported a positive effect on mental health, while 25% experienced negative impacts.

Similarly, 31% noted positive physical health effects, with under-25s and over-55s most likely to report positive impacts.

Half of the respondents frequently felt enthusiastic and immersed in their work.

However, 20-25% reported low energy levels, excessive pressure, exhaustion, or unmanageable workloads, with these indicators remaining stable since 2019.

Perceptions of job security have modestly improved post-pandemic; 65% felt unlikely to lose their job, up from 61% in 2019.

Additionally, 34% believed it would be easy to find a similar job, an increase from 29% in 2019.

Increasing numbers of workers are viewing work as transactional – simply for the money. While not a major problem on its own, this does pose the risk of mediocre work being produced as well as demotivated, uncommitted and unproductive staff.

Overall, peoples’ views of work are rather mixed. While it isn’t going to be realistic for all businesses to hit all the criteria 100% of the time on the CIPD ‘Good Work’ criteria, there should still be high levels of importance placed on addressing workplace conflict and its underlying causes, such as excessive workloads and pressure, to enhance job quality and employee well-being.

The Good Work report also highlights the need for effective line management training to foster positive workplace relationships and early conflict resolution.