Our Journey to the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity welcome in Good Employment Week by discussing our journey with the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.

Effective, fair practices. An inclusive and collaborative environment. And pioneering in standards and commitments. These three priority areas influence everything that we do at Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. They are also central to the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, which we are thrilled to announce we have begun our journey towards full membership.

Today marks the beginning of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Week, and to celebrate, we are taking the opportunity to discuss how the charter directly aligns with our values and why we are so excited to be joining it.

1. Effective

The charter is a voluntary membership scheme created to ensure fair employment of people across our city-region. The fair practices it endorses ensure employees are happy and effective at work, a value that is central to us at Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. The more effective we are, which owes a lot to how happy we are in our work, the more funds we can raise, and the more organisations we can support. We also value that effectiveness in the grants we distribute and within the organisations we support.

2. Pioneering

We are a founding funder of the pioneering scheme, A Bed Every Night. Our funding makes this unrivalled offer universal, distinguishing Greater Manchester’s emergency response accommodation for people who are rough sleeping from other areas of the UK. The charter is similarly pioneering as one of the first employment charters aiming to raise employment standards across a city-region. Its benefits will be felt by not only employees but organisations, sectors and society as a whole.

3. Collaboration

It is very hard to be either effective or pioneering without meaningful collaboration, and the charter’s emphasis on encouraging an equal and inclusive workforce truly resonates with the sort of organisation we want to be. The charter ensures that its member organisations benefit from a rich, diverse and collaborative environment, fostering the growth, productivity and flourishing of all involved. Similarly, at Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, we value the importance of collaboration both within our team and with the organisations and initiatives we support. That is why it is important to us to embark on the journey from supporter to full membership of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, learning about the best employment practices that will benefit not only us, but our whole city-region.

The process of assessment aims to help organisations improve employment standards around seven key areas. These are; secure work, flexible work, pay, engagement and voice, recruitment, people management and health and wellbeing. As a supporter, we are reviewing our activity across these seven domains, identifying areas of good practices and spaces for development. Already, we are seeing the benefits of such an assessment, identifying opportunities to create more points of collaboration and work satisfaction as a team, and implementing policies to support the organisation. . We will continue to be learning from the best employers across Greater Manchester, hearing about their challenges and successes, and using that to inform our ongoing development. We continue to be inspired by the brilliance of our city-region’s community.

Fran Darlington-Pollock, Head of Strategic Development at Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, said:

“Like any organisation, our core values must always guide everything we do. This is as true in our fundraising and grant making as it is in our working culture. A happy fulfilled workforce – no matter their size – is a productive, impactful workforce. Everything that we do will benefit from prioritising good employment for our team. What’s more, it makes a great place to work!”

To find out more about the Good Employment Charter, please follow this link.

Donate today and know that your money will help tackle homelessness across our city-region for a fairer and more sustainable future.