Impact case study database

Dr Ying Zhou’s cross-national comparative research on job quality has informed national and international policies designed to improve job quality through the OECD, the European Commission and in England and Wales.

OECD policy

In 2013, Dr Ying Zhou and Professor Duncan Gallie were invited to present their research on job autonomy and work intensity [3.6] at the OECD in Paris, in preparation for the development of the OECD Job Quality Framework. This workshop was attended by Jean-Paul Tricart (Head of Unit for Social Dialogue and Industrial Relations, European Commission), Marco Mira D’Ercole (Head of Household Statistics and Progress Measurement Division, OECD) and Mark Keese (Head of Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs). Mark Keese oversaw the subsequent development of the OECD Job Quality Framework [5.1], while Alexander Hijzen, who moderated the Q&A at the workshop, drafted the Framework. The Framework identified three broad dimensions of job quality: earnings, labour market security and quality of the working environment. Job autonomy, as identified in Dr Zhou’s presentation, was recognised as a key aspect of a good working environment [5.1, p18-19] [5.2]. The OECD Job Quality Framework was officially adopted in the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Ankara Declaration in 2015 [5.3]. At the Heads of States Summit, Ministers of Labour and Employment from G20 members and invited countries accepted the importance of job quality as a policy goal, acknowledging that ‘quality jobs are important as a key driver of greater well-being for individuals and society” [5.3 Clause 23 Annex IV].

To facilitate the implementation of the policy recommendations from the Job Quality Framework, the OECD was asked by the G20 members to create Guidelines on Measuring the Quality of the Working Environment [5.4]. The Guidelines were launched at the EU’s Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth in Gothenburg in 2017 which gathered heads of state and social partners to work on well-functioning and fair European labour markets, effective and sustainable social protection systems and the promotion of social dialogue at all levels. Dr Ying Zhou’s research on the distribution and trends in employee involvement in Europe was cited five times in the Guidelines document [5.4, Chapter 3]. The research is cited in support of the fact that ‘reliable data available for monitoring the quality of the working environment is essential for policy […] to improve working conditions’ [5.4 p58]. In particular, knowledge of the sectors of the workforce which are particularly vulnerable to poor working environment is essential for developing effective policy interventions to improve employee well-being.

European policy

Dr Ying Zhou was invited to present her research at Eurofound (European Union’s main research agency on working conditions) at a series of meetings held in Dublin and Brussels [5.5]. In 2014 her research [3.3] was presented at a joint workshop by the European Commission and OECD in Brussels and cited in the subsequently published 2015 European Commission policy document Employment and Social Developments in Europe [5.6] ‘which informed EU policies to improve organisational effectiveness and employee welfare.’ [5.5]. The research was used to indicate that work intensity can be beneficial when combined with choice, and to recognise that job autonomy is embedded in wider institutional structures.

In 2019 Dr Ying Zhou presented her research in Dublin to Eurofound’s Senior Advisory Committee which consists of representatives from governments, employers and trade unions from EU member states. The research was later presented to the Dutch Prime Minister’s Scientific Council and the European Council’s Working Party on Social Questions during the Finnish Presidency. In June 2020, the EU released Council Conclusions on Enhancing Well-being at Work which used the research [3.3] to support the call for enhanced employee involvement [5.7] and more broadly called on member states to develop policies to support the well-being at work agenda. This is acknowledged by Eurofound as “a significant achievement, in particular, as work organisation issue traditionally falls under the concept of subsidiarity, highlighting thus the original and ground-breaking contributions that the report is making.” [5.5]. The Conclusions are supported by a policy brief [5.8] published by Eurofound and co-authored by Dr Ying Zhou, which is used to ‘inform EU labour market policies’ [5.5].

UK policy

Dr Ying Zhou’s research has also influenced UK government policy on job quality and employee well-being. In 2013, Professor Duncan Gallie presented their joint research [3.3, 3.6] on the impact of economic recession on job quality in Europe to the Cabinet Office at No 10 Downing Street, with a particular focus on employee involvement. Their research was cited in the subsequently published 2014 UK Wellbeing and Policy Report authored by the former Cabinet Secretary Lord Gus O’Donnell and other prominent social scientists [5.9]. More recently Dr Ying Zhou drafted the Good Work Index Report [5.10] for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) which uses it to support its 150,000 members in HR to improve the quality of working lives.

Finally, Dr Ying Zhou’s research [3.3, 3.6] has also influenced Welsh Government policy. Recognising the importance of fair work for achieving a modernised and inclusive economy, the First Minister commissioned Professor Linda Dickens MBE to Chair the Fair Work Commission and make recommendations to improve job quality. ‘Fair Work Wales’ was published in May 2019 on the Welsh Government website [5.11]. Ying Zhou’s work was cited, and her contribution acknowledged in the report. Since the publication of the report, the Welsh government has set up the Social Partnership and Fair Work Directorate and secured a Social Partnership Act in Wales through the parliament to take forward the recommendations of the Fair Work Commission [5.12].