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This dissemination project from The Restaurant Association and Hospitality Training Foundation (HTF) seeks to promote partnership working within the hospitality industry. By working together, management and staff both in the kitchen and dining room environment will work to raise standards of service and business excellence in restaurants and catering establishments. The project will address traditional barriers to communication between front of house and back of house employees; encourage team working; and together with management, develop a shared responsibility for improving food safety.
British Waterways, along with Unison and the Transport & General Workers Union intends to introduce an occupational health programme through partnership working. The programme will use the HSC Securing Health Together strategy as the framework. Most importantly, the programme will provide a platform on which to build real partnership in the workplace. The long-term objective is to change the way in which managers and unions work together by developing an understanding of problems, finding joint solutions and reducing staff absence. An assessment of employees’ health will be carried out and then a programme of education and training will be delivered.
Working together, the Transport & General Workers’ Union and employment services provider, Manpower Plc, are seeking to develop a partnership approach to improve communications between the agency and the staff they place. This project will identify ways in which a partnership approach can develop and enhance communications between the agency’s workforce and the employer, and introduce an appropriate and effective system of trade union representation for the workforce. They will identify issues that inhibit confidence, job satisfaction and loyalty for agency employees. The project will focus on three regional areas covering London, The Midlands and North of England
Cleveland Fire Brigade along with the Fire Brigade Union and UNISON aim to develop a better workplace culture. All partners recognise the need for changes to organisational culture, behaviour and attitude which will enable the organisation to become more productive and better value the contributions that all staff can make. Initially, focus will be made on improving communication through briefing events, identifying champions for change and completing a staff survey. It is anticipated that among the specific issues for policy change will be dispute resolution, bullying, promotion and personal development.
British Engines Ltd regards partnership as essential for the future success of the business. Their project aims to change the workplace culture to one of joint working and to develop an understanding of modern industrial relations by upskilling some of the middle managers. They wish to move away from traditional 'old school’ working styles and also improve communications.
Working with 3 trade unions – the AEEU, APEX and GMB - The Federation Brewery Ltd wish to bring about culture change and develop an open and honest working environment where everyone’s knowledge and ideas are valued and people are rewarded for their effort. By developing this working practice and providing the skills needed, the company will be better equipped to respond to an increasingly challenging market and to create a team of people who enjoy working for the brewery and can contribute to and share in its success.
Leyland Trucks already has a partnership culture but recent expansion leading to rapid growth in staff numbers and workload has left them with a need to review and refresh their partnerships. Working with the AEEU, the main aim is to understand how employees are feeling and use results of a staff survey to develop a joint action plan in response.
This project from Littlewoods Retail and USDAW is seeking to sustain and reinvigorate an already established partnership between management and the union. Whilst the partnership has been successful at Partnership Board and Group level, knowledge and understanding has proved more difficult to reach colleagues at middle management and shop floor level. This project will confirm the purpose of the partnership, increase awareness and understanding and move the partnership forward.
Royal and Sun Alliance (RSA) with UNIFI and the MSF aims to develop a new employee relations procedural and behavioural framework. The Royal and Sun Alliance merged to form RSA in 1996 and a need to implement one set of coherent procedures has been identified. One set of modern procedures will recognise where the parties have ‘come from’ but will also move employee relations within the company to one that addresses the needs of the ‘new’ business. Training will be provided to appoint 'change champions' who will deliver the initiative to the organisation’s 24,000 staff. The project will seek to involve, engage and motivate staff.
UK Engineered Products (UKEP) is a manufacturing site within Textron power Transmission, encompassing four separate companies based at the Park Gear Works in Huddersfield. Together they provide a wide range of high quality products for bespoke power transmission applications throughout the world. By identifying and implementing ways to provide regular communication and consultation between managers and employees, this partnership project seeks to improve working relationships and facilitate quicker resolution of employee and business issues. By improving workplace communications, it is intended to improve job satisfaction and opportunities for employee involvement in the day to day activities of the company.
Yorkshire Forward was formed in April 1999 from an amalgamation of four different organisations bringing together 172 staff with eleven different sets of working terms and conditions. This project with the participation of the Institute of Professionals, Managers & Specialists seeks to build on work already carried out to harmonise the various terms and conditions by working in partnership and developing family friendly policies. Staff representatives will participate in developing training plans and a programme of Diversity training.
Leeds City Councilhas developed a proposal to introduce a joint problem solving approach to resolving employee grievances. Current practices are recognised as inadequate and all the parties recognise that there is a need to develop a greater understanding of the roles, responsibilities and constraints that they each work under. This project will encourage all to try an alternative approach based on the principles of partnership working to resolve issues through joint working rather than the current divisive approach. With over 32,000 employees, it has been difficult to ensure good working practice throughout the organisation. Partnership working will ensure that in future, any changes are achieved successfully.
Borne out of the creation of the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust in April 1999 (following the merger of three former County Ambulance Trusts), this project aims to build on the harmonisation of working practices and policies. It seeks to build a working relationship based on mutual trust, commitment and responsibility. A staff attitude survey and formation of focus groups will examine issues which staff feel are important.
Cooke Optics produce a range of fixed focus prime lenses for the movie industry. Their partnership project will establish a consultative forum involving employees and management in the development of the business. Improved communications, exchange of information and joint problem solving is designed to assist business planning and increased productivity.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust and UNISON aim to continue and build on partnership practices to facilitate the recent merger of two hospital trusts. Specific project objectives include improving consultation mechanisms; training staff side representatives and HR staff to deal with bullying and harassment situations; and creating a culture which prevents bullying and harassment from occurring and supports staff to raise concerns where prevention has been unsuccessful.
HP Bulmer plan to develop existing partnership practices with the specific aim of improving awareness throughout the company of their jointly agreed Equal Opportunities Policy. HP Bulmer will be working with the Transport and General Workers’ Union in achieving the project objectives which include training Equal Opportunities trainers.
Sector: Manufacture of drinks
Proper Cornish is a manufacturer of hand-made pasties and other bakery products. Their partnership project is about involving staff on staff forums to improve communications, working practices and conditions. In particular, areas to be looked at will include improving staff satisfaction, reducing staff turnover and absenteeism. By addressing these issues and finding joint solutions it is intended to improve employee relations and company profits.
Building on the existing partnership efforts of their National Staff Consultative Committee, and following major re-structuring, the Guide Dog for the Blind Association aims to widen the consultative brief to review and develop a range of family friendly policies which fit the needs of the staff and business.
A Partnership agreement between Legal & General and the MSF was signed in April 1997. The agreement is currently being reviewed and this partnership project will seek to reinforce the agreement and develop it at a strategic level within both organisations. Further work will be done to ensure that the agreement works effectively and becomes embedded into the organisational culture. Project objectives will include improving the way the two organisations work together and communications.
Gate Gourmet, providers of airline catering and related services will work together with partners Transport and General Workers’ Union in this project to improve working relations between management and employees and review/update existing employment policies. A newly formed joint Steering Group will co-ordinate activities which will be workshop based and involve awareness building and training.
This partnership between the Council’s managers, employees and UNISON to develop and implement an occupational health strategy has also gained support from two local service providers, Zurich Municipal and the Co-operative Bank. Current occupational health services available to employees across the council are inconsistent and the aim of the project is to bring them all to the same high standard according to the needs of the staff. Partnership techniques will be used throughout the project to develop and implement the strategy and to ensure that advice and support is relevant and accessible to all those who wish to use it. Three key groups will be established to ensure all stakeholders are represented.
Hampshire County Council in partnership with Unison and the Managerial & Professional Officers Branch of the GMB, will work in partnership to support the culture change that will arise from the implementation of new working practices and a review of grading and pay structures for some 20,000 employees. The project is about change management training for managers, employees and trade union representatives. A joint project team will be established to assist in developing and reviewing initiatives and in designing and delivering the change management training programme.
Zurich Financial Services together with its union, the Union of Finance Staff (UFS) signed a partnership agreement in December 2000 and this project will implement partnership principles throughout the organisation. Work will educate managers and supervisors, HR staff and local UFS representatives and employees in identifying the benefits of their involvement within the business. It will also provide skills and support to team leaders trying to resolve local problems. Increased levels of employee involvement will encourage all to work for the benefit of the business.
The Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is seeking to secure an improvement in work-life balance for its employees while maintaining service level standards. Working with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy the Trust intend to initiate a pilot partnership project within the physiotherapy service, this will develop opportunities for partnership working throughout. Staff will be involved in planning and implementing flexible working practices with the aim of improving morale and motivation and improving recruitment and retention rates.
I CAN is a national educational charity based in London for children with speech and communication difficulties. As part of their partnership project proposal, the charity aims to involve staff more actively in the organisation and harness their knowledge and skills to give them a stronger sense of ownership and participation. The project involves setting up a national Staff Communication and Consultation Forum, conducting a staff survey and developing an employee intranet to share learning and development.
Jacksons Lane Community Centre is a registered charity providing community and social activities in North London. This partnership project will seek to review management and staff relations, improve customer care and move the Centre towards becoming a modern 21st century organisation. This project will address these issues by introducing a culture change programme to give staff ownership and responsibility for change and specific business issues. Staff representatives will act as a conduit between staff, management and the management committee to offer a neutral sounding board for staff input and lead internal staff discussion
Bovince Ltd is a family-run company based in Walthamstow, London. The company is one of Europe’s largest Screen Process Printers. Their partnership project aims to build on an existing workplace culture of continuous improvement by introducing new flexible working arrangements to improve business performance and customer satisfaction whilst at the same time enabling employees to make positive choices about balancing work and the rest of their lives.
Unison and the Kings College Hospital Trust are committed to the creation of a working environment based on tolerance and respect as an absolute right for all staff and users of the Trust’s services. The Trust covers an area of London that is diverse in its population and this is reflected in the make up of the Trust’s employees. It is against this background that the partners wish to develop a partnership project that seeks to address issues of conflict that arise within the workforce and the workplace. The project will provide Mediation Training to equip managers and trade unions representatives with the necessary skills to resolve issues informally.
This partnership between GB Railfreight and ASLEF has two main objectives:- to review new methods of working recently introduced for train drivers and identify and implement relevant training; and to facilitate open communions between GBRf, its employees and ASLEF through the design and installation of an intranet facility. A steering group comprising representatives from all parties will monitor project progress and a final report will be circulated widely by both partners.
The Essex County Fire & Rescue Service and the Fire Brigades Union are working together to change workplace culture. Their main project objective is to achieve a measurable improvement in health & safety by seconding a union representative to work with health and safety managers to implement a Climate Survey Action Plan. They will also seek to improve internal communications procedures and involve management and trade union representatives in taking changes forward.
This project from the Norfolk County Council Highways Contractors – May Gurney Construction Ltd, is a partnership between senior management and local trade union representatives to implement long-term solutions to Health & Safety management. The project will develop the current system of H&S management by creating better access to and understanding of H&S policies, procedures and practice among managers and employees at all levels. Together, they will take shared responsibility for developing, managing and adhering to health and safety issues.
The West Glamorgan Housing Consortium provides supported housing for people with learning difficulties. Together with Unison, the Consortium wishes to change workplace culture so that important decisions are based on local operational need rather than centrally driven. There is a strong commitment to move towards greater involvement of management, the union and staff in joint working. The project will enhance the general health and well-being of employees in the main areas of health and dealing with stressful situations in and out of the work environment.
Building on relationships already established, 3M UK plc together with the Transport & General Workers’ Union want to incorporate the “20 Keys” approach at their Gorseinon site. This method is designed to enable and support change by focusing on employees and involving them in identifying areas for improvement. A full-time leader will be recruited from the workforce and the first four keys identified. A key leader, also from the workforce, will be responsible for each project and for convening consultative groups. The overall aim of the project is to energise and motivate all employees to work together for the mutual success of the company and themselves.
United Welsh Housing Association (UWHA) is a non-profit making body with charitable rules and employs a total of 120 staff all on similar terms of employment. The Association has a recognition agreement with one trade union ie Unison which was first drawn up in 1993. Since that time, the workplace and employment relationships have all changed considerably and it is felt that the agreement is in need of renewal. The project will seek to change culture and look at redefining and developing relationships between all parties in order to achieve the Corporate Objectives.
The University of Paisley seeks to embed partnership in the workplace through the advancement of its main partnership principles and the adoption of innovative and supportive partnership practices. This represents a significant shift in employment relations practice and consequently the University will first embark on a complementary culture change. This culture change will forge new relationships between management, employee representatives and employees.
United Distillers and Vintnershave two main aims in their partnership project. The first is to establish a robust consultation process across all the company’s divisions and sites and the second is to provide managers and employee representatives with relevant “partnership skills” to underpin effective consultation. Employees will become more involved in the decision making process and play a greater role in achieving business goals.
