Age Diversity in the Workplace with Wise Age (25 February 2025)
Guidance and support for employers
We're encouraging London's employers to go beyond the legal requirements and achieve the Good Work Standard.
On this page you can find information about:
- the structure of the Mayor's Good Work Standard
- the support we offer
- guidance on how to work through the accreditation process.
Process
To become accredited, employers must first complete an online foundation checklist. Once employers have successfully completed this step, they will be invited to complete the full self-assessment form, which assesses different criteria across the four pillars:
- fair pay and conditions
- engagement, voice and wellbeing
- skills and progression
- diversity and inclusive recruitment.
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Watch a short animation outlining the process for applying for the Mayor's Good Work Standard.
Eligibility
The Good Work Standard is open to all employers based in London.
If you are based outside of London, you are still eligible to apply if you meet one or more of the below criteria:
- you are a current or prospective GLA Group supplier
- you have employees working or based in London
- you undertake significant operations or work in London.
Employers must be an accredited Living Wage Employer to become a member of the Good Work Standard community.
The London Living Wage is an independently calculated, voluntary hourly rate based on the costs of living.
It covers all boroughs in Greater London and all employees aged 18 and over. This is a key commitment in the Mayor’s manifesto – to expand the number of businesses adopting the accreditation and make London a Living Wage City.
Visit the Living Wage Foundation website to find out how to become a Living Wage employer.
Guidance
Our Good Work Standard guide was developed to help employers understand the process, requirements and expectations to achieve the Good Work Standard. It provides comprehensive guidance relating to each criteria assessed across the four pillars of the accreditation.
The guidance is intended for employers interested in becoming accredited and accredited employers that would like to improve their working practices.
We recommend reading through the guidance before applying and referring to it when completing the online assessment.
Additional support
A key part of good work is effective employee engagement, with recognised trade unions supporting collective voice wherever possible. Involving employees in decision making and managing change and positive engagement with trade unions cuts across all parts of the Good Work Standard.
Use the TUC’s union finder to identify the union for you.
In collaboration with a group of Good Work Standard accredited employers and funded by the GLA, Coram Family and Childcare created an Employer Toolkit on how London employers can better support working parents to understand and access early education and childcare offers. This toolkit brings together good practice and tips for employers.
We run workshops throughout the year to help employers achieve the Good Work Standard and explore ways in which they can implement excellent workplace conditions and practices.
Upcoming events are added to this page throughout the year.
Video resources
Community webinars
Watch back the latest Good Work Standard community events, workshops and webinars.
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Why domestic abuse is a workplace issue - Business in the Community (28 May 2025)
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Apprenticeships - a practical guide with Workwhile (11 March 2025)
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Getting started with social mobility: an introduction for employers (4 December 2024)
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Flexibility by default with Timewise (26 November 2024)
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Tackling pay gaps and pay gap reporting with Acas (5 November 2024)
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Menopause in the workplace: from policy to planning action (17 October 2024)
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Supporting working parents with Coram Family and Childcare (4 March 2024)
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Improving mental wellbeing for Gig Economy workers with Calmer (28 November 2023).
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The Living Wage Foundation outline ‘Living Hours’ accreditation (7 November 2023)
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Introducing Staff Networks with Radius Networks (Q&A session, 2 November 2023).
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Building effective relationships with Trade Unions with Acas and Trades Union Congress (21 September 2023).
Case studies of good work
Watch our short film series providing valuable insights from employees and business leaders on best practice and making good work, standard.
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Formation Architects, an architectural practice based in Kennington, highlight how the Good Work Standard provided a clear set of criteria to understand their strengths and weaknesses as an organisation.
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Mercato Metropolitano, a sustainable community food market, highlight how looking after their employee’s wellbeing helps them as a business.
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ITV, a television broadcaster based in White City, are supporting apprenticeships as a pathway into employment in the media sector.
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Wavehill social and economic research, a consultancy, implemented an alternative to the four-day work week – the ‘nine-day fortnight’ - following staff feedback to improve work-life balance and employee wellbeing.
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Community enterprise and Mayor's Good Work Standard employer Aspire Community Works highlight how their partnership with Community Union is supporting worker voice
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Mayor's Good Work Standard employer nimtim architect Co-Director and Founder Nimi Attanayake highlights how their inclusive practices opening career pathways for aspiring architects
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Employees at Mayor's Good Work Standard employer Silver Birch Care highlight how they have been supported to progress and develop in their careers in the care sector
Celebrating the Good Work Standard community - City Hall 2 April 2025
On April 2, the Deputy Mayor for Business & Growth, Howard Dawber, gathered over 100 good employers, unions, and business leaders at City Hall to share the refreshed Good Work Standard—updated to reflect the evolving world of work and upcoming employment rights legislation.
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Good Work Standard Celebration 2025
Other Good Work initiatives
The Good Work Standard is designed to work alongside other existing initiatives to support fair employment practices and better workplaces.
Find out more about other London and UK-based Good Work initiatives.
How to apply
If you'd like to join the community of Good Work Standard accredited employers, you will have to complete an initial foundation checklist online. This sets out the minimum benchmark for your organisation to meet.
Once this is complete, you can complete your full self-assessment and progress through your accreditation journey.
Contact us
If you have any questions or want to provide feedback on your experience working through the assessment process, you can contact us at [email protected].
Stay up to date
Subscribe to the Good Work Standard newsletter to receive updates on our projects, events and opportunities.
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