Safeguarding the Voice of the Workforce: a commitment to employee representation

Here at Dawsongroup, our employees’ well-being is our top priority. We recognise that work can have an impact on the mental and physical health of its employees, and therefore a healthy workforce is key to organisational success and sustainability. There are many ways we do this, one of which is ensuring access to proper employee representation for our workforce and listening to their needs through satisfaction surveys.

Employee representation is the right of any employee to be heard within their role and to seek a union or individual to represent them when negotiating wages, hours, benefits or working conditions. As a business with more than a thousand employees, we’re aware of how important it is to empower the voice of the individual, ensuring they feel comfortable and supported at work.

The workplace is a complicated environment, with many people of diverse backgrounds coming together. As such, it is vital that everyone can voice their concerns, knowing they will be heard and, when appropriate, action will be taken. Trust, confidence, and care are key to creating a positive workplace culture.

This is an ongoing journey, and we are constantly improving, ensuring there are clear escalation paths to senior management, satisfaction surveys, and the establishment of our Employee Resource Groups. Not only has this facilitated the resolution of concerns before they develop into problems, but it has also helped to safeguard our most vulnerable employees from exploitation and workplace harassment.

Did you know that only 22.3% of private sector workers are protected by a collective agreement? In order to grow and develop as businesses that do good as well as sell good, these sorts of numbers need to change. For more information about how you can reinforce employee representation, head over to the Good Business Charter’s website today.