Fieldfisher partner supports practical think tank on the future of work

It was announced today that, IFOW, the first UK institute looking at the impact of technology on work is being established, with Fieldfisher partner, Graeme Nuttall OBE as one of its trustees.

In addition to Graeme the other IFOW trustees are its co-chairs, Naomi Climer and Sir Christopher Pissarides, and Dr Nadia Dhanash, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, and Helen Mountford QC.

In a speech today at Chatham House, co-chair Naomi Climer announced that IFOW is being established, its focus areas and, in particular, the development of a new ‘disruption index’ that goes beyond a simple measure of job quality and looks at the relationships between job quality, work change, how technology is being introduced, productivity and other key indicators of ‘disruption’.

Naomi Climer said:

“We can be optimistic about the future of work in Britain, but we must act now.  Working as an independent body will mean that we can be nimble and experimental, whilst IFOW's collective breadth of cross-disciplinary, expert knowledge and diverse networks will mean that we can expedite processes, create blueprints and get pilot projects underway to test new thinking and put research into practice.”

An independent, non-profit organisation, IFOW will be a practical think tank committed to addressing the most pressing challenges faced in the modern workplace. Its mission is to equip Britain for the future of work by providing practical solutions to help people, organisations and government create a better, fairer workplace. IFOW carries forward the findings of the 2016 independent Future of Work Commission, founded and co-chaired in Westminster by Tom Watson MP.

Graeme Nuttall OBE, partner at Fieldfisher and leading employee ownership expert welcomes his role as an IFOW trustee because of the major contribution employee owned and other shared ownership businesses can make to shaping the future of work. He explains:

“There is the potential to create “super” jobs which, in addition to traditional pay and benefits, also provide rewards from the rights and responsibilities of being a co-owner and in a way that has wider benefits to society and the economy. I look forward to ensuring employee ownership is appreciated in a wider context and to supporting all of IFOW’s important and challenging aims".