Wage inequality and employment polarisation – where employment is increasingly divided into high- and low-skilled jobs – are seen as important social problems, which a number of cities have attempted to address at a local level. This study investigates the geography of wage inequality and employment polarisation in British cities, their determinants and implications.

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A reaction from our experts on different aspects of the 2013 Budget.

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This paper outlines our recommendations on how to improve the implementation and effectiveness of the new Health and Work Assessment and Advisory Service (HWAAS).

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Only 8% of people with schizophrenia are currently in employment. The report examines the impact of schizophrenia on an individual's ability to enter or remain in the labour market, outlining how such barriers can be addressed by policymakers, employers, healthcare professionals as well as those with the condition and their carers.

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This report for UKTI investigates what drives the investment or procurement decisions of multinational firms.

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This report examines the UK’s youth unemployment problem in an international context, drawing lessons from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.

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This report shows how rising transport costs are making it difficult for thousands of young people to participate in education and training, leaving many unable to enter or stay in work.

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This report outlines what healthcare professionals, employers and policymakers must do to keep individuals with MSDs in active employment.

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In its submission to the 2012 Autumn Statement, The Work Foundation calls on the Chancellor to make Britain a world leader in new technologies and innovation.

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Shortly after the Coalition came to power, it established Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS), private-sector led organisations designed to involve business in the leadership of cities. Drawing on anonymous interviews with business leaders involved in LEPs, and a review of the history of business involvement in similar initiatives, this paper considers a range of issues around business engagement in LEPs.

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The report looks at the labour market impact and implications of the cuts already planned and implemented in the public service workforce. However, despite the unprecedented scale, pace, and focus of the cuts, a lack of overall workforce planning means the longer term implications for the labour market, women’s employment, regional balance, and the skills of the public sector workforce are almost impossible to predict. In that sense the government is flying blind.

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3D printing has the potential to transform the manufacturing industry and drive growth. This report looks at what such a radical technology means for government policy.

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This report considers the current state of affairs for economic regeneration. Drawing on a detailed analysis of previous schemes, it asks whether whether policy should focus on people, places or both?

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Careers Education and Guidance can improve school to work transitions and minimise the risk of young people becoming NEET. This report warns that changes now coming into effect are likely to severely compromise the quality, and availability, of provision.

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This report sets out what can be done at the city and local level to encourage jobs growth in the low carbon economy.

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This report outlines the complex issue of visa distribution and offers recommendations to government to ensure that immigration policy is best contributing to the UK workforce, ensuring that international students remain a valuable source of high-level skills for the UK knowledge economy.

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Over one million young people are out of work in the UK. This report illuminates the problem presented by the 264,000 young people in this country who have been unemployed for 12 months or more.

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A paper presented to the Societal Impact of Pain conference in Copenhagen.

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The Work Foundation 2012 Annual Debate Essay

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This paper examines the concept of ‘good work’ and discusses its role in supporting improvements in employee engagement, wellbeing, performance and productivity.

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The number of young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) has been rising for the last decade. How has the NEET cohort changed, and how has labour market change affected education to work transitions?

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This report sets out recommendations for creating a knowledge based economy in Kuwait through an innovation eco-system approach taking account of local conditions and strengths.

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This research, funded by NESTA, provides evidence on what high-growth firms and firms with the potential to achieve high growth see as the obstacles to their success. As a small proportion of high-growth firms are responsible for creating the majority of new jobs, this question is important for economic growth.

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This report tackles the missing side of the debate around skills in the UK by showing how the underuse of skills is resulting in lost productivity both for businesses and the economy as a whole.

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This Cities 2020 report looks at the geography of innovation, what makes a city successful, and how policy makers can improve the innovative performance of their cities.

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This report suggests an innovative system of credit easing to boost lending to small and medium enterprises.

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This submission to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement sets out what a credible growth plan would look like, emphasising the importance of infrastructure investment, innovation policies and more flexible regional growth policies.

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This report investigates the impact of specific medical technologies to assess their current use, their impact on quality of life and labour market participation and economic arguments for their use to be increased.

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For the first time, this report calculates the key economic impacts of the advertising industry on the UK economy. Expanding from direct impacts, it also explores the industry’s impact on outcomes such as innovation, growth and competitiveness.

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Launched as part of a research partnership with the Private Equity Foundation, this report examines NEET rates for 16 – 24 year olds across Great Britain.

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Instead of seeing it as a threat, organisations and HR must develop smart strategies to harness social media use by employees – it can be a crucial driver of innovation.

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The internet has changed the way we live, and the way that companies do business. But as well as helping us to order our shopping, it has spawned an economy of its own, a digital economy that takes place solely online, through exchanges of content.

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Each part of the economy has its own innovation system, with different players and institutions. To take advantage of the UK’s biggest opportunities, we must put in place the conditions needed to make each of these work.

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The government must act now to avoid a ‘lost decade of stagnation’. They must adopt a strategy of collaborative, entrepreneurial investment in those areas likely to bring the greatest dividends in growth and jobs.

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This report argues that the UK’s financial sector is systematically failing SMEs which could provide the greatest source of innovation, jobs and growth.

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Leading global organisations are increasingly viewing open ways of innovating as the key to cost-effective new product and service development, but what does this mean for our innovation system and policy?

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This report investigates the evidence of a hollowing-out of the labour market and assesses the implications.

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This report from the Good Work Commission explores what makes ‘good work’ and how we can create more of it. It is based on two key assets: the great breadth of experience and views of the Commissioners and the considerable body of research produced by The Work Foundation over the past decade.

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The final report from the Knowledge Economy 2 programme sets out a plan for a prosperous and balanced UK economy in 2020.

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Work lives of up to 100 000 people in the UK are cut 18 years short by multiple sclerosis. The report calls for a coordinated action to reduce the unnecessary burden of the condition on individuals’ lives and the UK economy.

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A productivity miracle is currently being demanded from our public services. This paper explores how innovation is being invested in and supported within our public services.

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Business services are the largest and fastest growing sector of the UK economy, having created 1.8 million jobs since 1970. This report looks at the role business services can play in driving the UK recovery.

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An assessment of this year's Budget by The Work Foundation

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With high growth firms widely recognised as major drivers of growth and job creation, this paper outlines what the government should do to maximise their success.

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UK manufacturers can no longer compete internationally in terms of production alone. However, effective action to promote ‘manu-services’ could secure the future of UK manufacturing and play a key role in rebalancing the economy.

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With a new generation of Enterprise Zones expected in the budget, this policy paper outlines major objections to these schemes.

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Young graduates in the North and the Midlands are now disproportionately employed in the public sector, which has serious implications for the government’s handling of cuts.

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Are outstanding leaders born or made? Can the principles of outstanding leadership be developed in others and what impact does it have on performance?

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This is the first report from the Bottom Ten Million research programme which examines in-work poverty as a social injustice and major economic hindrance.

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The former world-leading position of the UK Creative Industries is under threat. This report outlines what policy recommendations could maximise its potential to boost recovery.

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This paper offers a new perspective on the modern employment relationship and explores an employee-centric approach to better understanding and managing the deal.

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This report details the findings of an in-depth study with 20 low-earning employees to explore the currently under-researched, interrelated issues of personal finances, wellbeing and work.

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This paper sets out an agenda for change for the UK skills system that responds to impending public sector cuts and the movement towards an increasingly knowledge intensive economy.

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A submission by The Work Foundation to the Treasury’s Comprehensive Spending Review calling on the government to make a firm, long-term commitment to support growth in knowledge based industries.

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A new report from The Work Foundation explores whether our higher education sector is delivering the skills needed to drive the continued development of the knowledge economy until 2020.

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A new report from The Work Foundation which explores the inter-relationship between long term physical and mental conditions and the impact of these conditions on productivity and work participation.

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This report reviews what support is available to employees in order for them to maximise their income and also looks at what prevents them taking up that support.

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No city left behind? Investigates what the geography of the recovery is likely to be, and what policymakers can do to shape it.

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Drawing on expertise of The Work Foundation, this report shows how employers, government and health services can better support the health of UK workers.

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The Work Foundation's response to the Budget on 22 June 2010.

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This supplementary paper supports the findings of the report 'Managing Change: Responding to reduced public expenditure in Yorkshire and Humber'.

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This report follows a future scenarios approach to consider the potential for the low carbon economy to create new knowledge intensive work.

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With a large public sector workforce Yorkshire and Humber is vulnerable to forthcoming reductions in public spending. How can this best be managed?

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A paper written by Will Hutton for the annual debate arguing that workplace fairness is key to giving businesses new legitimacy and to engaging employees.

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The Deal 2020 Delphi experts identified key drivers shaping the employment relationship. The report highlights the people management implications of different future scenarios.

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An analysis of the private sector's ability to absorb the impact of cuts in public sector jobs.

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This policy prospectus sets out what the government should do in its first 100 days, including how to construct an effective growth strategy

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Is the knowledge economy in Britain becoming more or less urbanised?

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One of the UK’s first studies to investigate the links between sickness presence and individual performance could also help reduce sickness absence.

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This report reviews how the Olympics might contribute to London's future in a more knowledge intensive economy.

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This report examines how the London economy might emerge from the economic downturn to 2030 and how London can fully exploit the opportunities created by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the recovery.

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How does Britain rise to the challenge of rebuilding its economic model with very little public money?

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This paper is part of a four year evaluation of the Clore Social Leadership Programme (CSLP) by The Work Foundation. The report provides an overview of the third sector and outlines the key challenges that its leaders face in the coming years.

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A report prepared for Investors in People UK.

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Drawing on the findings of our Knowledge Workers survey, this report asks if knowledge work is good work and therefore better for our health & wellbeing.

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This executive summary sets out the agenda for making the eight core cities of the UK at the centre of economic growth and job creation.

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New research shows how ‘medium-sized’ cities can contribute to economic recovery.

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People of working age with long-term or chronic conditions deserve to be supported to participate in the labour market.

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This working paper critiques current and received wisdom about how the employee relationship is conceptualised in both theory and practice.

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This groundbreaking, in-depth two-year study captures the essence of outstanding leadership– all the more important to thrive in these challenging times.

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This groundbreaking, in-depth two-year study captures the essence of outstanding leadership – all the more important in these challenging times.

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As part of The Northern Way’s Regeneration Momentum research programme, this paper compares past approaches to regeneration focusing on the northern regions. Considering the different economic and political contexts, we seek to identify what lessons can be learnt from past regeneration initiatives.

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Anchor institutions have always been key actors in the economic, social and cultural life of a town or city but they assume renewed significance in light of current economic circumstances. Amidst public sector cutbacks and low levels of private sector confidence, it is clear that making the most of existing assets like anchor institutions will be vital for towns and cities across the United Kingdom

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In this essay, Will Hutton captures the challenges that UK businesses now face, outlining the conditions for future success.

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Is this the turning point of the recession? Where has the impact been felt most and where will growth come from? This working paper analyses the state of the knowledge economy today and to 2020.

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On the eve of the Pre- Budget report, this paper urges the government to tackle youth unemployment and outlines the specific measures it should adopt.

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This report sets out how economic links between towns and cities in the North of England can lead to higher levels of sustainable economic growth and development and sets out a typology of different types of economic relationships.

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Employers believe ‘good jobs’ are linked to success: according to the survey in this report, employers want new government policies to encourage the creation of ‘good jobs’.

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Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for 49% of workplace absences. This report is the culmination of a major study across 25 countries in the EU and beyond. It examines the causes of MSDs and assesses what can be done to reduce their devastating impact.

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This new report highlights the urgent need for UK organisations to adopt a more comprehensive and consistent approach to how they financially record their investments in intangible assets, such as R&D, brand equity and human capital.

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This report provides a succinct but thorough survey of existing evidence on managing people at work and a practical analysis of the gaps – a synthesis of what is already understood but also an outline of what The Future of HR's major new research project is now tasked with finding out.

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New research from The Work Foundation shows that, as in the last recession,low skill cities are struggling the most with unemployment and risk long-term decline.

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This report examines how the global economy has changed, what the impact of this has been upon the West Midlands, and how sustainable economic growth can be enabled in the future

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This evidence paper produced as part of the Recession and Recovery work investigates the impact of the recession on the UK's cities.

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Bringing together expert international insight with national level data this paper considers which aspect of UK city life and urban matters offer opportunities for knowledge exchange and partnerships with other cities

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These resources, ‘Investing in creative industries?- a guide for local authorities’, aim to help local authorities make these decisions about whether to invest in creative industries.

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This report set out the case and context for innovation as a Leeds City Region priority and reviews innovation capacity and performance in Leeds City Region now compared to the core city regions of Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield

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A new report by The Work Foundation, commissioned by City and Guilds, argues the gap between government perceptions and small businesses' needs is inhibiting the take-up of government training initiatives.

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In a paper ahead of the budget, The Work Foundation argues that affordable fiscal activism is necessary to reduce the growing threat of mass unemployment.

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An older and sicker workforce is likely to pose significant challenges to the productivity of business organisations. Work needs to be central to efforts to improve the health of British workers.

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The heads of G20 need to deliver a co-ordinated fiscal boost to the world economy and begin discussions about fairer globalisation.

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What do people do all day in the course of their work? A major new survey of 2011 workers analyses the scale of knowledge work across the UK.

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The old divide between manufacturing and services is eroding – notably in the high-tech, knowledge intensive sectors. Manufacturing remains economically critical to the UK.

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How has the recession affected different areas in the UK? This report suggests that large cities outside of London are the worst affected.

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This report demonstrates the importance of workplace relationships to job satisfaction and highlights the role that technologies can play in creating and maintaining these links.

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This new essay explores one of the oldest contentions in the philosophy of work – whether work is ‘intrinsic’ to human beings.

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This report captures the relationships between universities and cities and investigates how these can be capitalised on for mutual benefit in a knowledge economy.

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With the likelihood of a prolonged recession growing, this report urges the government to adopt a bold package of measures to stave off unemployment. It argues that the scale of the crisis justifies some decisive intervention to boost the economy.

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Around 6300 workers lost their jobs at MG Rover in 2005. This report finds that whilst 90% have found further work, two thirds of those have suffered significant pay cuts.

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The past thirty years have seen a huge change in the structure of employment in the UK. The purpose of this working paper is to explore how much of this phenomenon is driven by SMEs.

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This report highlights the key findings and insights from participants, and concludes with some recommendations about the implications of public sector policy and practice.

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This paper seeks to address the apparently intractable problem of measuring ‘Public Value’

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The Work Foundation argues in the final report of a major consortium research project that the concept of ‘public value’ offers the most promising set of principles for future reform.

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The debate over India’s entry in the global economy has so far mainly focused on the threat this poses to the competitiveness of the UK’s knowledge economy.

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This paper sets out to explain why the quality of employment should be a matter of profound concern for government, employers and employees.

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With the changing economy challenging the traditional spatial dimensions of a city, this working paper explores the role of governance within models of city success.

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The last ten years of economic growth in the UK is a story of the knowledge economy; and one which has played out in our cities

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For many people climate change seems such a large problem that it overwhelms them. For what exactly can organisations expect to do?

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The UK will need to attract more highly skilled workers from abroad - both from the European Union and outside it - in order to secure the future of high technology

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This paper examines the relationship between changing occupations and workers’ health and wellbeing

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In a new analysis of the growing trend towards collaboration among the UK's cities, The Work Foundation warns that having too many collaboration programmes may be counterproductive.

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Employers cannot create meaning and should not try to. It is up to individuals to find work that is meaningful for them. However, employers are capable of destroying meaning through poor organisation of work

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This report sets out the positive economic case for immigration and argues further managed migration is essential to sustaining economic performance

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This evidence paper examines the key issues for North Staffordshire regeneration

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Argues that the phenomenon of the knowledge economy is driven by the demand for higher value-added goods and services created by more sophisticated, more discerning and better educated consumers and businesses

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This evidence paper for North Staffordshire outlines our approach to transforming the region

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The report sets out why North Stafforshire needs to act, what the challenges and opportunities are in the context of a changing economy, recommends a vision for the area to aspire to, and makes headline recommendations.

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This paper examines the recommended vision and actions for North Staffordshire.

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This evidence paper is part of a series from our review of North Staffordshire's economic situation.

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This evidence paper on North Stafforshire economic regeneration contains detailed recommendations

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This paper seeks to review what policymakers can and cannot take from key areas of urban economics.

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The two-year study suggests that organisations with a comprehensive approach to people management perform better than those without, indicated by higher profits

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This report stresses the vital role that public expenditure plays in supporting certain cities across the UK in developing their ‘knowledge’ economies

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This is the summary of the report that sets out our findings and recommended vision..It builds on our conversations with key stakeholders, as well as on our review of available literature and data (using our Ideopolis framework).

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The aim of this report is to both collate and extend the existing research and to generate further insights about the distinctive qualities and drivers of innovation in the public sector.

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This is the first paper produced by The Work Foundation specifically examining the role of intangibles in the knowledge economy

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This report looks at the characteristics of Europe’s knowledge-workers, explores the nature of knowledge work and demonstrates how it varies across the European Union

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SCIE commissioned this knowledge review to describe the processes and actions that have proven most effective in bringing about and sustaining improvement in social care services

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Defines distinctiveness in the context of cities, and explains why it matters

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Sheffield City Region commissioned The Work Foundation to review its knowledge economy. This report draws on an extensive research process conducted between April and September 2007

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Sheffield City Region’s economy is being revitalised. Yet, despite significant improvements over the past ten years, it still lags behind other UK cities. The Work Foundation was commissioned to review Sheffield City Region

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It reviews what new models of work might look like that offer the flexibility required for women and men to access jobs that meet their aspirations and potential

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The report argues that early intervention and an emphasis on keeping sufferers in work wherever possible are likely to boost national productivity and help reduce people claiming Incapacity Benefit

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This report summarises learning from an event examining how ICT can enable public managers to deliver more joined-up, efficient and citizen-focused public services, focusing on the National Health Service

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The difficulty of creating ‘knowledge economy’ jobs in cities based in the north and west of the UK may be the principal reason for the continuation of the north-south divide, this report argues.

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The Labour government deserves ‘7 out of 10’ for its effect on working life during the last decade, this report suggests

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The value of Britain’s flourishing creative industries to the economy is now broadly comparable to that of the financial services sector, this report says

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If Germany is good at making cars and Japan at micro electronicws, what does Britaiin excel at economically? The answer is 'knowledge services'

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R&D and ICT are both important drivers of productivity. But they are also simplifications, and the money spent on each can be both a fantastic investment and a missed opportunity.

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This paper examines the extent and the nature of offshore outsourcing as well as its impact on the UK labour market.

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This report summarises learning from the first in our series of events examining how ICT can enable public managers to deliver more joined-up, efficient and citizen-focused public services, focusing on the Criminal Justice System

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This paper is one of several reports in this series that examine how public value has been adopted by various sectors like local government, policing, skills, broadcasting, arts and culture, and health.

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Reviews the progress of the UK's national minimum wage and considers its future.

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The Work Foundation's statement around the importance of the knowledge economy, why it matters and why we need a policy framework.

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This report is based on a survey targeted at HR managers in 1,000 public and private sector organisations.

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Stress is everywhere, but as a relatively new phenomenon. How can we define it and how can we explain its extraordinary cost to both business and government?

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Looks at the problem of fairness, employee rights and justice in the workplace

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Argues for renewed investment in the early lives of children, for the benefit of society as a whole

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Global changes in the location of production and the outsourcing of tasks to low-wage countries have dominated the public discourse for some time

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This report aims to assess the claims and counter claims made concerning private equity in an even-handed way

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We are writing London’s Creative Economy: An Accidental Success? against the backdrop of the DCMS-led Creative Economy Green Paper Process and a decade after the ‘Creative Industries’ Taskforce first coined the term

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The knowledge economy gets a reasonably clean bill of health as far as polarisation between 'good and bad' jobs is concerned

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This is the executive summary of the final report of The Work Foundation’s research project examining the concept of public value.

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Explores the knowledge industries in Europe, and the move towards a knowledge-based economy

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British citizens are prepared to pay more money for the BBC licence fee in the future, a new study has found.

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Anyone hoping to find the archetypal workers of the early 21st century should look no further than the ranks of hairdressers, management consultants, celebrities and managers.

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Explores definitions that allow the measurement of the knowledge economy, the knowledge workforce and knowledge-based firms

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Prepared for The Benenden Healthcare Society, this report looks at patterns of work and sickness absence particularly across the public sector, ways to mitigate the risks and gaps in NHS provision for the key causes of absence.

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Newcastle and Gateshead are increasingly working together to create a ‘knowledge city-region’.

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This report argues that ICT has the potential to transform the relationship between citizens and public services

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This report looks at performance management from a broader, more challenging commercial perspective than a purely HR focus.

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This case study examines Watford which gets the basics right. It has some good facilities for its size, has excellent transport links and, largely, good public services.

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This case study explores Manchester’s strengths, challenges and opportunities within the framework of the nine Ideopolis drivers

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Provides insight into what 'work-life balance' means to people

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Looks at the impact of the closure of the MG Rover car plant at Longbridge on the workers, their families and the community

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This report aims to investigate in detail whether ‘knowledge cities’ have distinct qualities

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The purpose of this report is to answer: what does ‘work-life balance’ mean to UNISON members.

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This case study explores Bristol’s strengths, challenges and opportunities within the framework of the nine Ideopolis drivers.

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The Ideopolis is the vision of a sustainable knowledge intensive city that drives growth in the wider city-region

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Glasgow scores well on measures of knowledge intensity and has developed a strong service economy

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This case study explores Cambridge’s strengths, challenges and opportunities within the framework of the nine Ideopolis drivers

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Boston is one of four international case studies that form part of the evidence base for the project, alongside Munich, Lisbon and Dublin

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Explores the assumptions behind the case for labour market "flexibility" and provides a critical assessment of current policies.

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Explores Manchester’s strengths, challenges and opportunities within the framework of the nine Ideopolis drivers

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Most UK employers have tended towards conservatism in their remuneration practice. Smart incentives examines the subtle shifts in practice in the pay and remuneration field which more and more employers have begun to articulate.

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Brighton punches above its weight in the knowledge economy, with the city’s renaissance being aided by an abundance of creativity

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This paper looks at whether Lisbon has become an ‘Ideopolis’. It is based on a review of the Lisbon-related literature, and three interviews with relevant players in the Ideopolis context

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This case study explores Edinburgh’s strengths, challenges and opportunities within the framework of the nine Ideopolis drivers.

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Examines the characteristics of jobs created in recent years which define the modern British employment market

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This case study report examines how certain public sector organisations are already creating public value, and shows how their work can be assessed within a public value framework.

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Papering over the cracks suggests that governments’ response to falling levels of trust in corporations and business destroys rather than builds trust.

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This report assesses the strengths and weaknesses of Norwich in the changing economy and sets out a potential vision for Norwich’s future as well as recommendations for how to get there.

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It looks at whether Munich is a knowledge city, drawing on the Ideopolis frame-work developed by The Work Foundation.

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The task addressed in Measuring public value 2: Practical approaches is to consider how public value is or can be measured

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This case study looks at the position of Dublin in the knowledge economy

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Birmingham is increasingly a ‘professional services’ city, with high-skill jobs in financial and business services

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Measuring public value: The economic theory begins by discussing many of the key theoretical concepts in the theory of social choice

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How do organisations integrate different workplace cultures that may result from local acquisitions or downsizing or even global mergers?

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Draws together analysis, findings and principles for public managers seeking to create public value

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This paper summarises the findings of the literature review on politics and public management and sets out the theoretical background that underpins the concept of Public Value.

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This sector paper is one of several reports in this series that examine how public value has been adopted by various sectors like local government, policing, skills, broadcasting, arts and culture, and health.

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This paper reviews the existing evidence on user satisfaction with and citizen expectations of public services.

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A lack of trust, voter apathy and a perceived lack of responsiveness among public services have contributed to a rising interest in the notion of community.

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Reviews the literature on quality of life and cities, focusing on the links between quality of life, economic success and the knowledge economy

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Explains that 'knowledge' is widely recognised as vital to the future competitiveness of the UK and EU economy and that cities are also increasingly recognised as critical to both economic prosperity and quality of life

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Discusses whether Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) bear more risk than other groups of workers in the UK economy in terms of labour market outcomes.

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The public value framework presents a new way for public services to approach the delivery of their services in order to meet the needs and expectations of citizens.

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Discusses the United Kingdom government's strategy on health and work, and contends that it lacks cohesion and will have little impact on the real issues affecting health and productivity

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This report uses a large-scale European worker survey to test the validity of several competing hypotheses of why people work long hours.

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Discusses the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in improving public services

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This report finds that the broadcasting industry in the UK is at risk of becoming a less creative force.

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This the second report in the 'Public Services and ICT' series, explores the 'demand' side of public services and ICT.

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The Work Foundation issued this challenge to political parties and policy-makers in April 2005.

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RBS developed its suite of flexible working options across the group in 2002 and extends the right to flexible working was extended to all employees, not just those with young children.

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Simply put, public value is a correlate of private value, which is measured by shareholder return

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Phase one of the Work and Enterprise Panel of Enquiry identified five areas that affected firm-level performance

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How flexible working helped promote a performance culture in a leading pharmaceutical company.

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Attempts to disentangle the myths from the realities of the knowledge econom

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How a telemarketing company's success was built on flexible working to help staff combine child care and work responsibilities.

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The year-long research project into performance and productivity has confirmed that the Company Performance Index (CPI) accurately measures firm performance

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The London Borough of Camden experienced a 2.5% reduction in the cost of sickness absence in the first year it introduced a work-life balance strategy

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This report is based on the second phase of our research into organisational performance.

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How flexible working hours help to retain and motivate staff.

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Examines the effectiveness of the Government's plan to reabsorb the redundant Longbridge car workers back into the local economy.

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Describes the research design. It contained accessible questions organised into the five core areas, with additional questions about financial performance and measurement

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Assesses the UK's skills and education strategy in meeting the Lisbon agenda for creating a knowledge economy.

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Explores the decline of union membership in Britain and the factors that have contributed to it

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How teleworking and flexible working options helped BT provide better customer service and improved productivity.

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Presents the results of a telephone survey of 1000 adults in the UK, which investigated people's views on working, with the aim of finding out what demographic change really means for the labour market and the way people work.

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How work-life balance helped improve recruitment and retention in an NHS hospital.

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Most UK employers have tended towards conservatism in their remuneration practice.

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How flexible working helped improve staff retention and productivity.

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How flexible hours, homeworking and career breaks are helping KPMG recruit and retain high calibre staff.

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In this briefing paper we use data derived from a survey of 3,000 UK businesses to test for relationships between intangibles, such as strategy and corporate objectives, and productivity

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Report on the role of CSR within business with The Virtuous Circle.

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Morgan Stanley developed balanceworks, a programme to provide employees with services and policies designed to give additional support, both inside and outside the firm in managing their increasingly demanding lives

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Nationwide are owned by their members and not shareholders so they are naturally different and expected to be different from profit-driven high street banks. They are also a socially responsible business with a vital role as consumer champion.

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PricewaterhouseCoopers has been leading the drive to flex and adapt corporate structures to respond to the increasing demand – from the business and from our people - for flexibility and work-life integration.

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Developing work-life policies that will ensure employees deliver ‘the best’ in a competitive market

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Most UK employers have tended towards conservatism in their remuneration practice. Smart incentives examines the subtle shifts in practice in the pay and remuneration field which more and more employers have begun to articulate.

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This report presents a new economic rationale for public service broadcasting based on the positive impact broadcasting can have on social capital.

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The Gershon objectives will require delivery of 2.5% efficiency savings in each year of the spending review period

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explores self-esteem in the UK labour market. It argues that people with higher self esteem are likely to be more productive, more resilient, more satisfied and better at their jobs thus leading to a more productive workforce in the UK

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Businesses that aim to align their human resources strategy with their business strategy tend to be more profitable and more efficient than those that do not

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This paper argues that we need to be clear about what we mean by 'career development', and why it matters – both to individuals and organisations

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Addresses the question of whether big business benefits or exploits deprived communities, examining the McDonald's franchise's impact on inner city economies.

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This paper addresses a range of issues related to the reconstruction of the UK’s voluntary pensions system

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The joy of work? provides the results of a survey of 1000 people in June 2004 which explored how happy the respondents were with their jobs.

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Whilst there is a volume of literature mapping out the evolution, causes and implications of income inequality across countries, there is little in-depth evidence concerning the desire of populations for income equality.

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Evaluates Marks and Spencer's Ready for Work programme delivered in conjunctions with Business in the Community (BiTC), and the Young Unemployed programme, a pilot project undertaken with the Prince's Trust.

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Over the past decade, digital technologies have often been presented as forces for globalisation and the ‘death of distance’, yet the vast majority of people’s day-to-day activities remain fairly local.

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Discusses the role of further education institutions in improving the UK's productivity, social inclusion and public sector reform

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There is such as thing as ‘the good bureaucrat’

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Work-life balance initiatives have developed over many years in response to employee requests and a desire to innovate to increase employee satisfaction It was recognised that Unilever’s approach needed to be promoted more widely to employees

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M&S has been committed to work-life practices for many years, valuing a balance between employee and customer needs

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This report will explore how organisations can harness, and benefit from, their creativity and innovation

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For most organisations and unions, designing and implementing an employee reward structure that meets both parties' needs, avoids unnecessary complexity and can accommodate government demands has proved elusive.

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Families are society in miniature. Families foster trust, build relationship skills and moral values.

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explores the adaptability of social network mapping, a methodology developed by anthropologists to understand entirely alien cultures, to the business context

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Mobile UK tells the real story of what ordinary Britons think about mobile technology

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How improving work-life balance in a small business reduced staff turnover, recruitment and training costs.

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Who gets paid what is probably the most contentious issue that any organisation will face in managing its people

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Though predominantly a feature of the industrial relations landscape in manufacturing, long-term pay deals of two or more years are now common in the public sector.

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Employers across the UK have become significantly more concerned over the levels of sickness absence in their workforce

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How flexible working helped attract and retain high calibre employees.

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How flexible working helped provide longer opening hours to the public and better work-life balance for staff.

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examines why the productivity dilemma still exists in Britain and outlines the work and enterprise method — a conceptual framework and methodology which proves the link between institutions, people and productivity.

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How reducing staff hours helped increase sales and profits.

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The Broadband industry must work out how to accelerate take-up. This report attempts to do just that

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The United Kingdom, according to HM Treasury and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) publications, has a productivity problem.

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Discusses how software, and our use of the internet, is becoming more social.

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This case study explores Sheffield’s strengths, challenges and opportunities within the framework of the nine Ideopolis drivers

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Working Capital introduced The Work Foundation's vision for successful workplaces and how building on its research, consultancy and advocacy model we hoped to build on The Industrial Society legacy

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Sets out the current context for public service reform and investment. Points to the increasing pressure on public sector pay and the role that work organisation could play in revitalising public sector productivity.

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Looking at a range of different digital devices and functions, this report challenges the conventional assumption that technology changes lives in and of itself.

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Internal Communications is a relatively new profession. Communicating and communicating well, however, is not a new need

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Discusses the concept of "the ideopolis", an urban form that has emerged around the cities of Boston, Seattle, Austin, Helsinki, Barcelona,

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