We feel that the principles of Fair Work First fully align with our mission statement, our 5 core values, who we are as an organisation and why we are committed to becoming Scotland’s first accredited Investor in Excellence
Fair Work First is the Scottish Government’s flagship policy for driving high quality and fair work, and workforce diversity across the labour market in Scotland by applying fair work criteria to grants, other funding and public contracts being awarded by and across the public sector, where it is relevant to do so.
At WGHC, we are working hard to make sure that we continue to be, and are increasingly, a place where voices are heard, careers are enhanced, our culture enriched and caring for people, diversity and equality remains proudly at our core and runs through everything we do. Attaining Investors in Excellence and strict adherence to our 5 core values are as much about our culture as they are our strategy.
For these reasons, and outlined in more detail below, we feel that the principles of Fair Work First fully align with our values, who we are as an organisation and why we are committed to becoming Scotland’s first accredited Investor in Excellence.
We allow all staff to have a voice
WGHC operates and allows all staff to express their voice both individually and collectively. We encourage engagement and actively seek the involvement of staff across a broad range of initiatives, particularly those which impact them directly.
- We encourage participation in a range of staff surveys and open dialogue in staff meetings.
- All our staff are given the opportunity to input into our Business Plan Objectives, Vision Statement, Mission Statements and Core Values.
- A collective bargaining agreement on staff salaries exists between EVH and the Unite Union.
- WGHC operates an open door policy from the CEO all the way through the organisation, providing a broad platform of support.
- We have policies and procedures in place to provide employees with ways to raise workplace concerns or issues. These include our Whistleblowing policy and our Grievance procedure.
- We operate performance review and appraisal processes with regular individual and in-person team meetings.
We invest in staff development
We are proud of our record of investing in the development of our staff and supporting their internal progression.
- One of our core values is ‘Learning’ which encourages our staff to learn and take advantage of opportunities to develop and progress in a way that is mutually beneficial.
- We encourage Learning & Development plans to attract diverse talent, growing the skills for the future and opening up career opportunities for all.
- We support employees to obtain relevant qualifications and our staff training budget enables those who wish to obtain more advanced qualifications to do so.
- We support a blended approach to learning by enabling staff to take part in a wide range of learning-related activities to suit their needs – from attending conferences and webinars to on-the-job learning and mutual mentoring and coaching.
As a minimum we pay the ‘Living Wage’ and do not use zero hours contracts
- WGHC pays all directly employed staff at least the ‘Living Wage’
- WGHC do not use zero hours contracts. Staff directly employed by WGHC are engaged either on: Fixed Term Contracts, Part Time Contracts or Full Time Contracts.
- WGHC is a ‘Living Wage’ employer.
- We are members of Employers in Voluntary Housing (EVH) and have adopted their Terms and Conditions and pay scales to ensure equality and transparency in relation to pay.
- WGHC pays all contractors engaged in delivering services at least the ‘Living Wage’.
- WGHC expects that all Contractors and Suppliers who provide services to WGHC also offer ‘Living Wage’ pay terms to their staff and do not make inappropriate use of any zero hours contracts.
Gender Pay Gap, Inclusivity and Diversity
- We have a fixed pay structure where every role is paid the same regardless of the gender of the post holder. We publish our staff structure on our website.
- We gather data, where provided by the individual, to better understand the diversity of our workforce and those applying for positions within WGHC.
- Our culture, policies and practices ensure we recruit and retain the best employees for the role and we are proud of our increasingly diverse workforce.
- We conduct Equality Impact Assessments on key strategic and operational activities to ensure that they are fair and do not disadvantage any protected groups. This ensures we promote equality in practice and deliver better outcomes for our staff, tenants and communities.
We offer flexible working practices
- Supporting our staff to be the best they can be means helping them to achieve a reasonable balance between their work and personal lives.
- Where employees want to work flexibly we have constructive conversations on how to put in place flexible working arrangement and making suitable adjustments.
- Using EVH terms and conditions of employment, we have policies and practices relating to:
- Parental Leave
- Paternity Leave
- Shared Parental Leave
- Maternity Leave
- Adoption Leave
- Special Leave
We do not operate “fire and re-hire” practices
- WGHC does not use or endorse fire and re-hire practices and commits to not engage in this activity
- Where we make necessary changes to our organisation in line with any legitimate organisational need, we consult with staff appropriately and support them to achieve the best possible outcome for both them and the organisation
- Any impacted staff, regardless of the nature of their contract of employment, are engaged in open dialogue and included in any consultation process
- WGHC’s approach to consultation is genuine and meaningful and this is clearly articulated in our terms and conditions of employment and staff policies
Fair Work First Statement
In addition to the information above, click the link to read our Fair Work First Statement