November 27, 2017
OECD publishes major new work on measuring the quality of the working environment
The OECD has published a major new report which it claims set out an internationally agreed set of guidelines to measure the quality of the working environment. The document covers a wide range of factors related to working conditions based on existing data and a survey of workers in 20 OECD countries. These characteristics of the working environment include risk factors, work intensity, discretion, autonomy and the opportunity for self-realisation. The guidelines have been produced as part of the OECD Better Life Initiative, which was launched in 2011 with the objective of measuring wellbeing. The report then goes on to set out guidelines for analysis based on sets of questions based on 17 workplace factors.
The report ostensibly sets out to discard the traditional approach to such measures which it claims have been focused on health and safety issues and the physical environment to encompass a much broader range of cultural and structural issues related to productivity, wellbeing and physical and mental health.
