Rethinking work: What does it take to build a productive and healthy society?

This session was recorded as part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2025. 

Work is much more than a means to an end—it shapes our identity, values, social status, and how we spend our lives. As a central principle of society, work underpins individual wellbeing, collective resilience, and societal progress. Yet the nature of work is undergoing profound changes, driven by technological advances, shifting societal values and the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, the UK’s longstanding productivity challenge remains unresolved. This panel will explore how we can balance productivity, fairness, and wellbeing to create work that is sustainable, meaningful, and productive for individuals, organisations, and society.

Guest speakers: 

• Kate Bell, Trade Union Congress (TUC
• Prof Brendan Burchell, Faculty of Human, Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge
• Sarah O’Connor, Financial Times
• Chair: Dr Nina Jörden, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge

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