July 30, 2019
London now has its own Good Work standard
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has launched London’s Good Work Standard, pledging to make London ‘the best place to live and work’. The standard has been developed in partnership with CIPD, claims to bring together good employment practice with resources and guidance written by CIPD experts and tested with London based CIPD members, the framework sets out to support employers of all sizes across the city improve their people management practices and create good work for all.
The standard follows four guiding principles:
- Fair pay and contracts
Fairness, merit and transparency should be at the heart of any good pay and reward strategy. Some of the first things being asked of employers are to:
- Pay all workers and employees at least the London Living Wage.
- Provide the best possible leave entitlements for parents, sick leave and annual leave.
- Write clear employment contracts and written statements for workers and employees.
- Workplace wellbeing
All employers have a duty of care to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workers. But the wellbeing of people at work should go beyond fulfilling the legal requirements; here are the some of the first things London employers can do as part of the Standard:
- Put in place channels for regular workforce dialogue, whether it’s team meetings or staff surveys.
- Foster a positive culture around work-life balance by offering flexible working for everyone and get senior management to model this behaviour.
- Skills and progression
London has one of the most highly skilled workforces of any city in the world, but effectively managing that can be challenging. Leaders and line managers play a crucial role in the development of an organisation’s people. Some of the first things business should do are:
- Develop clear progression pathways and systems for promotion and pay growth throughout the organisation.
- Implement training for managers and leaders on core people management skills including objective setting, coaching and providing feedback.
- Diversity and recruitment
London is one of the most diverse cities in the world so its employers should embed a culture of inclusion in how they recruit, train, manage and develop people at all levels in their organisation. To start with, they should:
- Put in place a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination, harassment and bullying.
- Use a fair, open and transparent recruitment process, using multiple channels to advertise jobs and encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
CIPD have also created a People Skills Hub, a free service aimed at small businesses that includes resources, guidance and information on the essentials to help businesses improve their people management skills and strategy.
Accredited organisations will also be given the Good Work Standard logo to help them stand out as Good Work employers.
Signing up
To achieve Good Work Standard accreditation, employers must first complete the self-assessment for the Foundation criteria. These are the legal requirements and basics of employment practice that every employer should have in place.
Once employers have completed the self-assessment stage, they will be invited to register for the Good Work Standard, with two prospective levels:
- Achievement: the standard for good employment practice.
- Excellence: for employers that demonstrate how they embed excellent practices into their organisation.
After this, the Good Work Standard is valid for two years. To stay accredited, employers are asked to submit information every year.
