Changing Social – one of the founding Members of the Good Employment Charter

How did you hear about the Charter and why did you take the step to become a full Member? What was your experience of the process to becoming a Member?

We collaborated with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority for their Workforce for The Future Programme, teaming up to provide Microsoft 365 training to members, whilst also leveraging the valuable free support offered to local SMEs. During this partnership, we learned about the Good Employment Charter and saw it as a fantastic opportunity. After engaging with the team, we enthusiastically chose to join, committing to enhancing our employee experience and becoming part of a network of similar-minded local businesses.

We had to complete an application form demonstrating how our company aligns with the required seven characteristics, a task that proved relatively straightforward for us as we already had many of the necessary processes in place. Many organisations who may be concerned at first about the evidence gathering process should be reassured by the fact that the application provides a comprehensive guide on all necessary steps and the team were readily available for any questions we had, providing clear guidance on whether additional evidence was needed to meet the specified requirements.

We recognise the invaluable benchmark that the Charter’s framework provides, enabling us to regularly self-reflect on our employment practices and procedures. Becoming a full Member demonstrates our commitment to this, showing how we are aligned to the Charter’s goals but always striving to improve as well.

It was a thorough but simple process to become a Member. The Charter team at the Mayoral Combined Authority were instrumental, guiding us through each step and helping us bring out the case studies that showed the good work we were already doing, as well as how we could improve our practices going forward. Those examples gave us a great benchmark so that we can regularly measure the progress we are making.

Now that you are a member, what do you think the impact is and will be to your organisation?

It was reassuring to discover that our company was already aligned to the commitments in the Good Employment Charter. This not only affirms our current practices but also provides an opportunity to pinpoint areas that may need more attention, ensuring a continuous enhancement of our employee experience.

As a Microsoft Partner, we have internally adopted the Viva Suite and provided training to our customers, witnessing first-hand the positive impact of these services on employee engagement. Observing the transformative effects of the solutions we offer further motivates us to constantly refine and improve our practices.

What would you say to organisations who are thinking about joining as a Supporter or potentially an accredited Member?

Engaging in this initiative is highly beneficial as it will establish a network of similarly minded companies, fostering a collaborative environment for sharing and learning. Additionally, it assists in honing your company's focus on what needs to be done to better support your employees.

Become an employer of choice

About the Charter

The Good Employment Charter is an accreditation scheme that aims to improve employment standards in the West of England for organisations of all sizes and sectors, through characteristics that will raise the value and quality of work, allowing employers to become an ‘employer of choice’, leading them to higher staff retention rates, better productivity and contributing to a thriving economy.

The West of England Good Employment Charter will set the standard for working practices in the region. Supporting businesses of any size or sector to improve investment in their staff, enabling more inclusive, equitable & sustainable working practices, positively benefiting people, society, and the wider economy.