Ed Miliband’s speech today re-emphasises the need to place fairness and business ethics at the centre ‘good capitalism’. These sentiments have been echoed today by commentators like Polly Toynbee and Will Hutton. Stephen Bevan looks at elements of good capitalism such as ethics and 'green' activities.

'It’s only Tuesday and already there have been several angry exchanges between researchers on the impact of migration on UK unemployment.' Stephen Bevan takes an in-depth look at both sides of the debate.

It’s the start of the bonus season. Stephen Bevan explores the issues, controversy and 'fairness' around bonuses and pay for top executives in the UK.

'The Manchester United and Scotland star Darren Fletcher has announced an extended break from football while he receives treatment for Ulcerative Colitis – a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).'

'There seems to be no let-up in sight to the gloomy economic outlook. Growth is stagnant, unemployment is growing, fear of job loss remains high and pressure on workers and their families is building.'

'Tucked away in George Osborne’s Autumn Statement yesterday was an apparently uncontroversial commitment to review the case for Regional pay in the public sector... there was a more than a whiff of déjà vu in his announcement.'

'Since the publication in July of our Good Work Commission report ‘Good Work and Our Times’, the issue of business ethics, corporate responsibility and ‘good’ capitalism has been high on the agenda.'

'Since 2007 The Work Foundation has been conducting research into the impact of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) on work participation and productivity. This research has now extended beyond the UK to most EU member states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and now Brazil.'

Tomorrow sees the introduction of new Agency Worker regulations in the UK. It means that people on temporary/agency contracts will have the right to access collective facilities such as canteens, childcare facilities etc, be told about job vacancies, and the same basic pay/working conditions as permanent staff.

As the political party season starts it is likely there will be attempts to grab headlines with eye-catching policy announcements and carefully positioned press releases, autobiographies and personal sideswipes by political allies, rather than constructive collaboration among politicians.

'How can we ensure that the NHS helps people with long-term health conditions to stay in work? Are GPs equipped with the expertise to advise employers about workplace adjustments for employees with chronic illness?' These are the kinds of questions which were being asked The Work Foundation’s event yesterday.

In New York this week, at a major UN conference on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), concerns were voiced about cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), cancer, obesity, diabetes etc. These are all increasing and can no longer be considered as confined to those who have retired.

'The second half of 2011 sees Poland take on the Presidency of the EU and this week The Work Foundation launched a major report examining the economic, social and labour market consequences of musculoskeletal disorders in the Polish workforce.'

'It is with tedious, metronomic regularity that reports about malingering British workers appear in our business pages. PwC has conducted a survey which claims that a third of workers admit to ‘skiving’ – having time off sick when they were not genuinely ill. Consultancy firms know that journalists love stories about the ‘workshy'.'

'The current debate about ‘Top Pay’ in the public sector raises some tricky questions about the role that Non-executive Directors (NEDs) have traditionally played in influencing senior executive remuneration.'

'For the last two years The Work Foundation has been providing the secretariat to the Good Work Commission which, under the skilful Chairmanship of Alan Parker, CEO of Brunswick, has been exploring the relevance of the concept to Good Work to business, to employees and to wider society in the post recession era.'

Amid last week’s fuss about the launch of the government’s Work Programme (a fuss ably contributed to by my colleague Dr Neil Lee!), the launch of the Sayce Review of employment support for disabled people on Thursday was almost overshadowed.

'This week there has been plenty of good quality coverage of the issue of mental health in the workplace. This is largely down to the excellent 'Taking care of business' campaign by the mental health charity Mind. On Tuesday I was invited to participate in a business summit, organised by Mind, and addressed by Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform.'

Yesterday I spoke at the Parliamentary launch of a new report looking at the employment experiences of people with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Conducted by Crohn’s and Colitis UK, the survey-based research looked at the long-term impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on career aspirations, opportunities and choices in the UK.

'The interim report of the High Pay Commission, published on Monday, focuses attention – yet again – on the fundamental issue of fairness in modern workplaces. he report highlights the growth in top people’s pay relative to the rest of the workforce and argues that this widening gap is ultimately a form of market failure’.

'The migration of people from long-term sickness absence onto Employment Support Allowance (ESA) – formerly Incapacity Benefit stands at about 3000 each week. Research published last week showed that the majority of these claimants are now suffering from mental health problems, with employers and the government seemingly powerless to stem the flow.'

'Here at The Work Foundation we know all too well that many organisations are increasingly worried by the worsening health and wellbeing of their employees. Yet, for the most part, employers are still feeling pretty powerless in their attempts to do something meaningful about this growing concern.'

If you are a fan of The Apprentice you may remember Katie Hopkins, who raised eyebrows when she withdrew from the show at a very late stage citing childcare concerns. Since the show she has returned to her career in consultancy, and has taken to airing her views in national newspapers and on TV shows like Question Time.

'In some quarters it has become acceptable to caricature claimants of long-term sickness benefits as workshy malingerers. This has contributed to a prevailing mood of intolerance and indignation in parts of the press, reflecting that felt – it has to be said - by many ordinary folk.'

George Osbourne is very keen to reassure Public Sector workers who will lose their jobs over the next four years. He hopes that many of the jobs could be lost through ‘natural wastage’, implying that compulsory redundancy will only be used as a last resort, but should public servants be comforted by this?

'One of the ‘hot’ issues being debated at the Conservative Party Conference this week is welfare reform. While the headlines will be about changes to universal benefits and about how savings can be made from the welfare budget, the proposals which will affect people with chronic illness are worth a closer look.'

'The news that World No 2 golfer Phil Mickelson has been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis brings into sharp relief the importance of the early diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory conditions if people are to stand the best chance of living normal lives and staying in work.'

On Wednesday 21 July, I chaired the 4th Annual Relate Lecture given this year by its new President, Professor Cary Cooper of the University of Lancaster who spoke on the topic Is Work Ruining Our Lives?

Last week I was asked to brief the new Health Minister, Anne Milton MP, about progress on the Health and Work agenda. We discussed raising the profile of workplace health issues, and the use of practical tools to help GPs and employers help people with long-term or chronic health conditions back to work.

'The latest CBI data on sickness absence in the UK workforce shows a fall in the number of working days lost, compared with previous years.'

'There’s something reassuring – even benign – about politicians announcing that they expect that job cuts can be achieved through ‘natural wastage’.'

'It’s been a long night. As predicted by many, a hung parliament beckons. And not just any old hung parliament. Whichever permutation is examined it looks like a coalition potentially built on sand.'