Government told how to make contract work 'good'

The Taylor Review of ‘Good Work’ has inspired a contractor trade body to table what it deems would be ‘good’ for contractors  – the very people at the heart of Matthew Taylor’s 100-plus-page report.

Hot on the heels of its own report, ‘Working Well for Yourself’, IPSE found that just a few key areas affect the work satisfaction of the self-employed, having polled 800 contractors, in conjunction with the IPA.

The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) says that the three are; relationships with clients, the contractor’s own work-life balance and for certain groups, payment culture.

Based on this trio, and in addition to its long-standing proposal for the government to encourage the self-employed to upskill, the association made three new recommendations:

1. Clarify client obligations and promote good practice -- so that clients are able to work more productively with the self-employed while respecting such contractors’ autonomy.
2. Promote co-working and co-operatives -- so that those who for themselves can help and support each other.
3. Tackle late/non-payment of invoices -- by enshrining the Prompt Payment Code in law and giving the Small Business Commissioner tougher powers to act.

“These findings confirm our calls, and should act as a wake-up call to policymakers,” said IPSE’s policy director Simon McVicker.

“If the government truly wants to promote ‘good work’ among the self-employed and ensure this way of working remains positive, the way is clear”.