Let’s Write a New Social Contract
Behind the differences of national systems, we are on a shared,
universal quest; to provide adequate social safety nets to
everyone in need – regardless of employment status or any other
difference. In a changing world of work, this demands a fresh
way of looking at what work means, in all its forms – from fulltime,
open-ended contracts or part-time employment to flexible,
platform work or even unpaid work that contributes to social
value creation. This increasingly complex environment requires a
new social contract for work between governments, businesses,
social partners and workers.
Acknowledging the multiple challenges in writing a new social
contract for work, The Adecco Group is offering a platform for
discussion and some first elements to consider. We believe:
• Governments, employers and social partners should design
new models and update existing regulation to ensure that
all work opportunities, including freelancing, are secure
and sustainable for workers and businesses alike.
• When there is a de facto employment relationship
between a platform and a worker, it should be defined
and treated as such, and all relevant rights and obligations
should apply to both parties.
• We are committed to providing freelancers and everyone
who is part of the workforce with fair remuneration and the
benefits they need.
• One-size-fit-all solutions are not the answer.
• Some situations could arise where vulnerable workers,
including freelancers, should be offered additional
protection by Government.
• The build-up of social protection should be individual,
portable and transferable.
“You can look at the debate around social protection and platform
workers negatively or positively,” says Professor Schoukens of
the University of Leuven. “Negatively, you can see it as a kind of
danger or challenge to existing protections. Positively, I see it as an
invitation to rethink our systems in order to make sure that they’re
up to meeting future needs.” In other words, it’s time to act to
establish a new social contract for the 21st century.
How has COVID-19 affected this?*
One of the most profound changes in the COVID-19 crisis has
been how the social contract has changed, particularly between
employers and employees. An implicit contract is based on
accepted and generally unspoken assumptions about “the way
things are.” Consider these profound upheavals in that contract:
• The accepted boundaries between work life and home life
dissolved as millions of coworkers suddenly “did life together,”
videoconferencing into each other’s home offices, kitchens . . .
and sometimes lesson plans.
• The emotional well-being of the workforce has become
a greater and much more visible priority, particularly as
employees suffer the trauma of loss—including, tragically, the
loss of family and friends.
• Biases against working from home are dissolving. For example,
one quasi-governmental agency shifted its staff to remote
working and discovered that productivity increased despite
years of assumptions to the contrary.
• Businesses and governments experienced the downside of
job fluidity, wrestling with how to support gig workers, who
now make up a large portion of the workforce.
*Deloitte, Reopening the workplace: The resilient leader’s guide, A workplan for business
recovery from COVID-19
I see it as an invitation to
rethink our systems in order
to make sure that they’re up
to meeting future needs
Professor Schoukens, University of Leuven
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