The Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group’s visit to the IMPACT business support programme
Last year, our Co-chair Kat Brogan (Managing Director of Mercat Tours) presented as part of the IMPACT business support programme to talk to local businesses about the Fair Work movement in Edinburgh.
IMPACT is a purpose-led business support programme delivered by Elevator UK in partnership with Business Gateway Edinburgh. The programme aims to equip local businesses with the skills they need to put purpose at the heart of their work. Fair Work has an important role to play in becoming a purpose-led business. Adopting Fair Work practices into the core values of an organisation makes sure that it prioritises social impact, ethical conduct and the wellbeing of its employees.
Kat spoke about the need to translate the language of Fair Work into something that practically works for each individual business and its team. She spoke about how this is done at Mercat Tours through the Mercat Deal. The deal sets out what members of the Mercat team can expect and provides practical actions that sit underneath the five pillars of Fair Work (effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment, respect). This is regularly reviewed and adjusted to reflect the changing priorities of their team. Kat emphasized the importance of continuously working with your team to understand what they need from work and adjusting Fair Work practices to reflect and meet their priorities in line with business objectives.
Businesses attending the session were keen to find out more about how Fair Work fits in with other business values, and how to balance offering employee benefits whilst maintaining the financial sustainability of the business. Kat explained that it takes time to plan and build up a Fair Work offer as a foundation for all business decisions, and that businesses are best to be honest and involve their teams to develop their employment benefits sustainably, as their business grows.
Adopting Fair Work practices takes time and can be challenging, however it is critical to make sure that businesses support the wellbeing of their employees and wider society. It can also deliver business benefits such as increased productivity, and reduced staff turnover.
The Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group aims to support all businesses in the city to become Fair Work employers by building awareness and providing advice on how Fair Work can be put into practice. We are keen to hear from any employers in the city that are engaged in the Fair Work movement and can be contacted by emailing policyandinsight@edinburgh.gov.uk.