Publications

Abuse is the dark side of the social environment at work, with detrimental effects on worker health and wellbeing, and a reduced commitment to work. Too little is known, however, about the prevalence of abuse across UK workplaces. This report analyses perceptions of physical violence, sexual harassment and other harassment or bullying. It finds that:…

Participation at work is an important determinant of personal well-being and is associated with significantly higher levels of employee motivation that are likely to be conducive to higher productivity in technologically advanced economies. The report examines trends in different types of participation among British workers, their distribution by gender and class, and the implications of…

This report examines key trends in union membership in Britain and perceptions in the influence that unions have. The report also examines the demand for union representation among those employed at non-unionised workplaces and how these demands vary between different population subgroups. Against the backdrop of a long-term decline in union membership over the last…

The pursuit of meaningful work has deep historical roots, spurred by both individuals’ intrinsic needs for psychological fulfilment and organisations’ drive to enhance work motivation, performance, and competitive advantage. Over the past decade, the alleged growth of roles which are useless – so-called ‘bullshit jobs’ – has prompted public discussion of the meaning of work….

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics in the workplace has sparked debates about their potential to reshape how we work, learn and interact. Against this backdrop, this report examines the evolution of work digitalisation since the 1990s, the drivers of AI and robot adoption in 2023/2024, and how technology adoption relates to workforce…

This report examines whether the job quality gender gap is widening or narrowing along six key dimensions: Working Time Quality, Weekly Earnings, Job Security, Autonomy & Skill, the Physical Environment and Work Intensity. The gap in each of these dimensions is important for gender equality in health and wellbeing, but only the pay gap is…

Skills are integral to supporting the development of the United Kingdom as a high wage-high growth economy. This report examines key trends in qualifications held, the different types of skills used at work, trends in job related training and learning at work and the degree to which workers can use the qualifications, skills and experience…

Before the pandemic interest in the location of work was, at best, modest, but during and after the pandemic interest spiked with claims that the office is dying. This report examines historical trends in those working exclusively at home (homeworkers) and those working partly in the office and partly at home (hybrid workers). It identifies…

This report presents findings from new research comparing the job quality, other than pay, of private and state school teachers in post-pandemic England and Wales, including those based at elite private schools, based on a survey of private and state school teachers who are members of the National Education Union. Information was obtained from 14,212…

This study investigates the evolving demand for graduate skills in the British workforce, leveraging a task-based approach with data from the Skills and Employment Survey Series. Focused on the changing importance of job tasks related to graduate skills, the research explores the mapping of these tasks to educational attainment, discerns the price employers pay for…