Ss65-01 Core Values at Work — The Dignity in Decent Work

Introduction Our core values carry us through the different conditions and times of our lives. They bridge all areas, including our lives at work — across different jobs, cultures, countries, large companies and SMEs, formal and informal work. Through it all, these values guide us through our challenges and successes. Materials and Methods How we experience our core values will be explored through philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, occupational health, and personal stories. With this background, these values will be applied to decent work and the dignity and worker rights it protects. Results People are complex. We are not one set of data or one job description. Work is not who people are. But work should be a chance for people to express and experience who they are. Core values provides a means to do so. The International Labour Organization includes dignity as a key element of decent work. Dignity is more than a single core value. In some ways, it includes all core values: respect, positive relationships, being heard, personal excellence, being able to take care of family and friends, and much more. These values provide the foundation, the reason why we take action to improve people’s experience of work. Programs and actions identify what needs to be done, and further details instruct how it gets done. But the foundation lies with human values, the why. Conclusions Core values constantly remind us how each worker might experience their work. This is why the values of dignity and worker rights remain at the core of decent work.