We talk a lot about "jobs": job creation, job losses, job security. But a job on its own isn't enough for real thriving or development. If someone works full-time and still can't afford a decent standard of living, feels unsafe at work, has no voice, and goes home mentally drained every day… that's not decent work. That is where they try to survive and find little to no opportunity to thrive or contribute meaningfully.
Decent work is about the quality of work: whether people can live, learn and retain their dignity while they earn a living. And businesses have far more influence over this than they sometimes realise.
So, what is "decent work" in practice?
You don't need a policy document to understand it. Decent work shows up in the day-to-day experience of people in your organisation. It looks like this:
- People can live on what they earn - they are not constantly choosing between transport, food, school fees and rent.
- Workplaces are safe - physically and psychologically.
- People have a chance to grow through skills, training, mentoring and real opportunities.
- Work is not coercive - people have autonomy, not just instructions barked at them.
- Rights and dignity are respected - no one is disposable, and no one is above basic standards of respect.
- The business is not destroying the environment that people depend on - decisions consider long-term impact, not only next quarter.
When you design work this way, you're not just “being nice” or “soft”. You're reducing poverty, improving equality and contributing to a more stable social and economic environment, all while building a stronger business.
Now, let's break each of the above points into more detail. And explore how you, as a business, can implement these areas of decent work.
Fair wages: more than the minimum
A legal minimum wage is a political compromise, not a guarantee of a decent life. It keeps people in work, but it doesn't always lift them out of struggle. For example, it is reported that, in South Africa, the median salary is R5,417 a month in 2022 (STATS SA). Inflation-related increases since have not made much of a difference. It also indicated that about half of the workers in South Africa are below that. According to Living Wage South Africa Network, a real figure for a truly decent life is between R 12,000.00 and R 15,000.00 a month. Just makes you think, how do the majority of people live with dignity and household stability?
Fair wages mean:
- Looking beyond the legislation and asking what it costs to live with basic dignity in your context.
- Recognising that “we pay market-related” isn't enough if “the market” has normalised underpaying certain roles or groups.
- Being transparent about how pay is determined, and addressing internal inequities (for example, gender or race pay gaps, or historical anomalies).
For the business, fair and transparent pay:
- Reduces turnover and recruitment costs.
- Lowers the risk of disputes and grievances.
- Builds trust and loyalty — people are far more willing to go the extra mile when they don't feel exploited.
Building capability: training and development as a core responsibility
Decent work is not just about how much people earn, but what work allows them to become.
When you invest in training and development, you're not just “upskilling staff”. You are:
- Expanding human capability - people gain skills, confidence and options for their future.
- Strengthening your organisation - better quality, better decisions, fewer errors, more innovation.
- Creating mobility - people can move into new roles instead of stagnating or leaving.
This includes:
- Technical and professional skills.
- Human skills: communication, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership.
- Learning on the job: mentoring, coaching, stretch assignments, job shadowing.
Youth skills: internships, learnerships and apprenticeships
Currently Africa has the biggest potential workforce in the near future (staff). And for young people, the difference between “no work experience” and “one solid internship or apprenticeship” is massive.
Well-designed youth programmes should:
- Offer real learning, not just admin and errands.
- Be structured with clear objectives, feedback and mentoring.
- Provide fair stipends, so participation is not limited to those with financial support at home.
- Create a talent pipeline for the business: you've already seen how they work, think and learn.
The social and economic benefits are obvious: less youth unemployment, more skills in the economy, less pressure on families and communities. For your business, you're building your future workforce instead of constantly competing for the same scarce skills.
Safe and healthy workplaces: physical and mental
Decent work absolutely includes health and safety, but not just in the “tick the box” sense.
Physical safety
This is the foundation:
- Proper equipment and PPE.
- Training on safe practices.
- Machinery that is maintained, not patched together.
- Clear procedures for reporting hazards and incidents, without fear.
Mental well-being and psychological safety
Equally important is the felt experience of being at work, as mentioned in a previous article, which is the responsibility of both the organisation and the employee. It includes:
- Reasonable workloads and expectations - not permanent crisis mode.
- Autonomy - people are trusted to do their jobs, not micromanaged or controlled through fear.
- Freedom from harassment and bullying - whether from peers, managers or customers.
- Space to speak up - about risks, ideas, concerns and mistakes without being punished for it.
When work is coercive, “do this or else”, “you're lucky to have a job”, “you're replaceable”, it erodes mental health and engagement. People do the bare minimum, hide errors and disengage. Workplace trauma also goes beyond company walls and impacts people's lives and those of their families.
When work is decent, people feel safe enough to care, to think, to contribute ideas and to challenge poor decisions.
Rights, dignity and equality at work
You can't talk about decent work without talking about basic rights and dignity.
This shows up in:
- Non-discrimination in hiring, promotion, pay and opportunities.
- Clear, fair processes for discipline, performance management and grievances.
- Respectful everyday interactions, how managers speak to staff, how conflicts are handled, and how mistakes are treated.
- Voice, workers have ways to influence decisions that affect them, whether through formal structures or regular, meaningful conversations.
Equality also means paying attention to who gets stuck in precarious, low-paid roles with no development, and who gets access to stretch opportunities and development.
When you take dignity seriously, you stop treating people as “headcount” and start seeing them as humans whose lives you are directly shaping.
How businesses can start creating more decent work
You don't have to overhaul everything at once. You can start with intentional, practical steps:
1. Listen to your people
- Run anonymous surveys, focus groups or one-on-one conversations.
- Listening to stories gives you the best insight into any problem and solution.
- Ask about pay, safety, workload, growth, treatment, and fairness.
- Listen without defending. The lived experience of staff is your best data.
2. Look honestly at pay
- Identify roles that are clearly underpaid relative to their responsibility and living costs.
- Plan phased adjustments for the most vulnerable groups.
- Make your pay principles clear and consistent.
3. Invest in skills, not just compliance training
- Conduct skills gap analysis for each role.
- Create a development plan for each role or level.
- Combine formal training with mentoring and on-the-job learning.
- Track who gets development opportunities and deliberately include those who are often overlooked.
4. Strengthen health, safety and mental well-being
- Review your safety practices; are they real, or just policies on paper?
- Train managers in people leadership, not just technical work.
- Normalise conversations about stress, burnout and workload. Adjust where necessary.
5. Design quality youth pathways
- Partner with schools, colleges or universities where appropriate.
- Build structured internships, learnerships or apprenticeships with clear outcomes.
- Treat youth as future colleagues, not cheap short-term labour.
6. Embed dignity and rights
- Make sure policies are accessible, understandable and actually used.
- Create simple, safe channels for raising concerns.
- Train leaders on respectful conduct and consequences for violations.
Why decent work is good business
Decent work is not charity. It's a strategy. A way of working.
When people are paid fairly, treated with dignity, given opportunities to grow, and work in a safe and supportive environment, you get:
- Higher retention and lower recruitment costs
- Better quality work and fewer costly mistakes
- Stronger engagement and discretionary effort
- A healthier, more stable culture
- A reputation as an employer of choice, which matters deeply to younger talent
And beyond your organisation, you contribute to:
- Lower household and community stress
- More stable local economies
- Greater social cohesion and trust
Decent work is where human development and business performance meet.
If you're serious about long-term success, this is not an add-on. It's the way you design and run your organisation.