Decent work in the UK: Context, conceptualization, and assessment

an article by Vanessa Dodd (Nottingham Trent University, UK) and Tristram Hooley and Ciaran Burke (University of Derby, UK) published in Journal of Vocational Behavior Volume 112 (June 2019)

Highlights

• The following studies sought to further understand decent work in the UK context.
• Study 1 was a validation of The Decent Work Scale (DWS) within the UK context.
• We found evidence that The DWS is a valid measure for use in the UK.
• In study 2 we found all decent work subscales to be relevant to decent work in the UK except for access to healthcare.
• Additional constructs may be important to understanding decent work in the UK context.

Abstract

Access to decent work is an important goal for policymakers and for individuals navigating their working lives. Decent work is a career goal for individuals and a priority for many employers and policy makers seeking to promote social justice. Decent work forms part of the United Nations sustainable development goals and the International Labor Organisation's (ILO) Decent Work Agenda. The findings of the Taylor Review (2017) have helped to prioritize decent work as a policy aim for the current UK government.

Although macro-level indicators have been well developed to monitor access to decent work, there have been few studies which attempt to understand decent work at the individual level. As a result, our studies explore the measurement and definition of decent work in the UK. Study 1 investigates whether the Decent Work Scale (DWS) is a valid measure for use in the UK and Study 2 uses a qualitative approach to further understand what decent work means to working people in the UK. Study results may have implications for the assessment and conceptualization of decent work among this specific population.

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