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CIPD Level 55HR01AC 1.4

Measuring and Designing Good Work

5HR01Employment relationship management

Written by the People Study Pro CIPD content teamPublished Updated

This CIPD Level 5 learning video, part of unit 5HR01 – Employment relationship management, explores how organisations can measure and design good work to foster better working lives. Covering assessment criteria AC 1.4, the video examines the concept of good work through fair and decent employment practices, encompassing job quality factors such as pay, benefits, health and safety, psychosocial wellbeing, and job design. You'll discover the metrics used to assess job quality and learn practical strategies for designing roles that promote both physical and mental health whilst supporting flexibility and employee cohesion. By watching this video, you'll gain the knowledge needed to implement evidence-based approaches to creating meaningful employment relationships within your organisation.

What this video covers

Measuring and Designing Good Work sits within Unit 5HR01 Employment Relationship Management and addresses Assessment Criterion 1.4, focusing on how good work is defined, assessed and deliberately constructed in practice. The video covers the distinction between quantitative and qualitative methods for measuring job quality, examining specific metrics such as employee engagement survey scores, staff turnover rates, sickness absence patterns, pay ratios, progression rates, training participation, grievance volumes and working hours data including overtime. Alongside these numerical indicators, the video also addresses qualitative approaches including focus groups, thematic analysis of free-text survey responses, one-to-one management conversations and observation of workplace culture.

Two established frameworks for assessing job quality are named and contextualised within the video: the CIPD Job Quality Index, which examines seven dimensions including pay and benefits, contracts, job design, health and wellbeing, work-life balance, voice and representation, and the Good Work Standard developed by the Mayor of London. The video situates these frameworks as tools for systematic, comprehensive assessment rather than narrow measurement, and considers how regular use of them allows organisations to identify strengths, weaknesses and trends across the full range of job quality dimensions.

The design dimension of the video addresses how work arrangements can be intentionally structured to promote both physical and mental health outcomes. Physical health considerations discussed include ergonomic workstation design, movement opportunities, working hours and rest and recovery. On the mental health side, the video covers workload management, autonomy, clear objectives, feedback, recognition, social connection at work, the boundary between work and personal time, and the embedding of supportive management practices into organisational culture. Employee involvement in design decisions is treated throughout as a core principle rather than an optional consideration.

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Assessment Criteria 1.4

Explain the concept of better working lives and how this can be designed.

Indicative Content

Better working lives: concept of good work, definitions of good work; fair and decent work; job quality: terms of employment, pay and benefits, health, safety and psychosocial wellbeing, job design and nature of work, social support and cohesion; flexibility; responsiveness to personal issues; metrics used to assess job quality and good work; how to design good work so that it promotes good physical and mental health.

What You'll Learn

Video covering: Measuring and Designing Good Work

About 5HR01Employment relationship management

CIPD Level 5
5HR01
Learning Outcome 1

This unit examines the key approaches, practices and tools to manage and enhance the employee relationship to create better working lives and the significant impact this can have on organisational performance.

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