In recent weeks I have been struck by how many politicians are asking: “What is a ‘good’ job?” and following up with possible examples such as: “Is working in a call centre a ‘good’ job?”.
This shows us that the question is unquestionably subjective and can be viewed very superficially without having a good grasp of what the measurements are, and what they mean on both a collective and individual level.
Invariably the usual suspects will be those business models that use minimum wage as the floor and ceiling regarding pay, and from here they are immediately discounted as ‘not being good jobs’ because of the rate of pay.
But pay is only one of many measurements of good work and the recently appointed expert (Dr Lisa Wilson - Good Jobs) to the Department for the Economy will, no doubt, be at pains to point out that job quality indicators transcend pay alone.
There are a myriad of factors that can measure a good job and the importance of each will vary in accordance to what is important to both the organisation and the job holder.
These could include job security, employee voice and engagement, flexible working arrangements, wellbeing initiatives, staff development, social aspects of the modern workplace and so on.
Context informs everything and so the small business owner may find themselves perhaps weak in one area of good jobs but strong in another.
As such they can work to their strengths and aspire to address their weaknesses. At a very basic level business owners should be aware of what keeps their staff happy and to that extent there must be a mechanism for their voice to be heard.
If a business has a retention problem, difficult questions need to be asked regarding the nature of the work, what people say in exit interviews, the weaknesses in the business model and regardless of strategy – what is the culture of the organisation?
Creating good jobs need not be a costly exercise for SMEs but it does require effort and perhaps a mindset change from employer and employee alike.
No one knows better about what constitutes a good job than the people who work in them, but have they ever been asked what ‘good’ means to them?
Voice is the starting point and be ready for both home truths and uncomfortable answers. But also be ready to hear the as yet unheard of what good could look like without necessarily breaking the bank, but with a commitment to make working life better.
- Mark McAllister is director of employment relations services at Labour Relations Agency NI
