Jutta Allmendinger, President of the Berlin Social Science Center, explains what she believes constitutes good work.
Modern technology can create prosperity and make work easier—for example, when robots take over heavy labor or mobile technology allows parents to go home early once in a while. But there are also risks. Labor standards may decline, and qualifications may lose their value. Regardless of how technology or globalization evolves, IG Metall believes that work must continue to meet these standards in the future: It must be self-determined, secure, and fair.
IG Metall plans to discuss what collective bargaining partners and policymakers must do to ensure the welfare state meets this challenge at its Welfare State Congress in Berlin at the end of October, with participants including Jutta Allmendinger, President of the Berlin Social Science Center. In this interview, she explains what constitutes good work for her.
Ms. Allmendinger, what does “good work” look like to you?
Jutta Allmendinger: To me, good work means having a job subject to social security contributions with adequate pay. Good work is meaningful work; it offers a say in decision-making and opportunities for development. It’s also important to be able to adjust working hours according to one’s life situation, and to have a shared understanding that people have lives outside of work. After all, collegiality plays a key role in shaping daily interactions at the workplace.
And what is the reality like in workplaces?
In some industries, in large companies, and among permanent workforces, we’ve already made significant progress toward good work. For a great many workers, however, this world remains a dream. This divide in the labor market presents a challenge for us. We must devote far more effort to offering good work to everyone.
What is changing in the world of work? What isn’t changing?
People want to be employed and have secure and fair working conditions—young workers even more so than anyone else. That won’t change. What will change are the skill requirements throughout a person’s working life and the relative importance of different industries. The service sector—and especially care professions—will grow significantly. Digitalization, in particular, will bring about major changes. Some professions will soon cease to exist, while new job profiles will emerge. Employees’ personal responsibility is also increasing. To ensure they are not overwhelmed by this, they need specific skills that we must teach them very early on.
. And time to gain those qualifications?
Yes, and they must be able to do so during their working hours. Without time off, they would simply face yet another work-life balance challenge. Those with families often cannot pursue continuing education for their careers after work.
What do men expect from their work, and what do women expect?
There aren’t any major differences. Men and women want fair wages, enjoy going to work, and want to balance their careers and family lives.
How do we achieve equal opportunities for men and women?
This is a challenge for policymakers, but also for unions and companies. We need to distribute work differently between fathers and mothers, but also across the course of a person’s life. Right now, too much of the focus is on middle age. We need rules that allow women and men to transition more flexibly between part-time and full-time work. This would help align their working hours. Jobs typically held by women must be paid fairly. If we achieve this, women will be more likely to advance in their careers, the gender pay gap will narrow, and so will the massive disparities in retirement benefits.
How can policymakers support the diverse preferences for working time models?
Policymakers must provide a framework and offer options. They should not prescribe a single model—not even indirectly. Spousal income splitting is an example of how it should not be done. It may seem appealing to women for a while. In the medium and long term, however, it can have devastating effects. On the other hand, anything that allows work and family responsibilities to be shared equally is positive. Policymakers must also spark a societal discourse on the value we place on work. We must make days off possible not only on an individual basis but across society as a whole. To put it bluntly: How much do we have to work to earn a weekend off?
What role do works councils and unions play?
Unions, works councils, employee participation, and a strong grassroots base within the workplace are essential. Studies show that the less collective bargaining coverage and employee participation there is, the worse the working conditions are and the lower the wages are.
