Revised 21st Century Work Agreement: It's High Time to Take Action
In the rapidly evolving world of work, the Our Group, an organisation engaging with client companies, social partners, associates, and institutions related to work, is calling for a change in the way work is perceived and a new social contract for the 21st century.
The Our Group's vision, as envisioned by the Aspen Institute's Future of Work Initiative, focuses on strengthening the social contract amid rapid economic and technological changes. This vision centres work as the backbone of the social contract, defining access to opportunity, security, and participation in economic progress.
The key policy solutions proposed by the Our Group include innovating workplace structures, policies, and practices that renew rather than erode trust and opportunity in work. They also advocate for reimagining workplace governance, protections, and benefits to build worker resilience against rapid change and address disparities based on place, race, education, and gender.
Fostering structured, transparent collaboration between labor and business is another crucial aspect of the Our Group's proposals. They aim to restore social trust and rebuild shared prosperity. The Our Group also encourages equipping leaders across sectors to proactively shape a future where businesses view workers as essential innovation partners and where workers have multiple pathways to exercise agency over their economic and technological futures.
Moreover, the Our Group proposes encouraging business metrics that align with worker empowerment rather than only traditional profitability goals. They also advocate for a step forward towards individual, portable, and transferable social accounts.
A dedicated microsite has been created by the Our Group to foster debate on innovative solutions and expert views regarding a new social contract. The microsite invites all participants to join the conversation about a new social contract for the 21st century.
The Our Group's report highlights the urgent need for a new social contract due to the changing policy needs of today's labour market. The report aims to raise awareness about the effects of technology on the labour market, such as the rise of the gig economy.
Alain Dehaze, the CEO of the Our Group, stated the need for a new social contract that is suitable for the current world. The Our Group encourages dialogue with colleagues worldwide, both in person and via the microsite.
Additional relevant policy discussions in the broader context include experimenting with Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a social safety net enabled by new technology platforms like blockchain and crypto for transparency and sustainability. However, funding and scalability remain challenges.
Overall, the Our Group’s proposals emphasize adaptive, inclusive, and participatory approaches to workplace policy that proactively respond to technological acceleration and social changes to redefine the social contract in this century. This initiative aims to equalize all forms of work and increase opportunity and choice in the diverse work landscape.
- The Our Group suggests implementing business metrics that focus on worker empowerment, instead of solely traditional profitability goals, as part of a push towards a new social contract.
- In the context of policy discussions, the Our Group advocates for experimenting with Universal Basic Income (UBI), utilizing technology platforms like blockchain and crypto, to address changing policy needs in the modern labour market.
- The Our Group's vision for a new social contract in the 21st century encompasses workplace policies, structures, and practices that foster transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity, with the aim of redefining work lifestyle and promoting health and wellness in the rapidly evolving workplace.
