For employers and people professionals striving to attract talent, understanding what improves work and working lives is becoming increasingly important.
The phrase "good work" has increasingly gained traction in recent years, both in the political arena at an aspirational policy level and in workplaces throughout the UK. What is not always clear is what exactly "good work" is and how it is measured. For the past 8 years, the CIPD has been benchmarking job quality in the UK, and the 2025 report has just been published.
Good Work Index 2025
The CIPD Good Work Index 2025 measures the quality of work across seven dimensions - pay and benefits, contracts, job design and the nature of work, work-life balance, relationships at work, employee voice, and health and wellbeing. This year responses have been drawn from 5,000 workers across all sectors and regions of the UK.
Key findings
Some of the key findings are not surprising. Better pay satisfaction correlates with better reported performance, improved mental health and a lower likelihood of quitting. Employees who see good development and advancement prospects were more likely to say they perform better, recommend their employer and go the extra mile for their organisation. At the other end of the scale, employees who are overqualified for a job are more likely to quit and less likely to believe their work has a positive impact on their mental health.
Perhaps more surprisingly, given the focus over recent years on employment status, data showed similar levels of job satisfaction between permanent employees, temporary workers and workers on short-hours contracts. Overall, the data suggests that the type of contract people were employed under did not materially impact on their job satisfaction.
Similarly, while the impact of the pandemic greatly increased the visibility of flexible working, the report finds that opportunities for formal flexible working arrangements are often not available. However, most employees do feel able to take time away from work to deal with personal matters on an informal basis.
AI, meanwhile, is a fairly polarising subject. The report finds that AI automation correlates with greater job satisfaction and a positive impact on mental health. This may be explained by AI being most commonly used for boring, repetitive tasks thereby freeing up employees to do higher value or more enjoyable tasks. However, for a minority, AI has had a negative impact. Employers need to carefully consider their use of it, particularly around how it is introduced.
The importance of good line managers came through clearly when looking at a number of the factors that the CIPD used to assess job satisfaction. Employees with positive perceptions of their line managers are more likely to report they perform effectively within their jobs, and less likely to say their work has a negative impact on their health. Those who feel they are empowered to speak up by their managers are also more likely to report better performance. Poor relationships with line managers are likely to influence health issues, as are excessive workloads, stress and exhaustion. Good line managers should be able to manage workloads, identify stress and exhaustion at an early stage, and intervene to take appropriate action.
The theme of the importance of good line management is one that is also repeated in the CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work survey, which is due to be published later this year. Both that survey and the Good Work Index make a compelling case that investment in the capabilities of managers is one of the most meaningful ways for employers to improve employee well-being and performance.
