Fifth Round Projects (The Partnership At Work Fund) page 1

Announcing the winners, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Employment Relations Minister, said:

“Working together makes good business sense and is essential for companies and industries committed to success. Good employers know that only by valuing people can you boost productivity and encourage innovation.”

Eastern England

Continued Commitment to Health and Safety

Norfolk County Council, UNISON, and the GMB aim to achieve a high level of commitment, understanding and ownership of health and safety issues by front line operatives, senior managers and trade union representatives.

Sector: Local Government
Number of Employees: 700
Project Grant: £50,000

Breakthrough Change in Fluid Spillage Reduction

Perkins Engines Company Ltd and AMICUS are aiming to address employee feelings of insecurity due to seasonal employment demand. They hope to establish a framework guidance document that will enable individual companies and their employees to discuss the introduction of suitable flexible working arrangements to account for peaks and troughs in production. The overall aim is to improve the competitiveness of the industry and provide greater security for its workforce. They intend to disseminate the framework guidance across the industry to stimulate discussion between employers and employees regarding finding solutions to seasonal employment problems.

Sector: Manufacturing
Number of Employees: 3400
Project Grant: £26,964

Financial Telemarketing Services and staff hope that by promoting partnership working and by the introduction of effective work-life balance policies the project will result in reduced staff attrition by up to 20%. They will hold information and training sessions in which they will discuss issues and raise awareness of work-life balance and its benefits. It is hoped the introduction of work-life balance guidelines will improve staff morale, motivation and job satisfaction.

Sector: Financial Services
Number of Employees: 10
Project Grant: £33,000.00

Building Working Relationships

Churchill College will be working with employees to review the operation of the existing Staff Consultative Committee to ensure that there is no alienation of staff not represented by the GMB, and that all staff are involved in decision-making processes. They also intend to introduce new procedures for consultation on operational changes, and a mechanism for review and regular revision of the staff handbook.

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 168

Project Grant: £17,677,00

Avon Cosmetics Ltd will be working with employees to create an environment where people feel valued and where they have time for a life as well as a career. They hope to become an Employer of Choice through developing a work-life balance policy which meets the needs of employees and the business. The project will involve internal and external reviews of best practice and the presentation of recommendations for the development and implementation of Avon’s approach to work-life balance.

Sector: Direct Selling

Number of Employees: 2057

Project Grant: £30,750.00

Rebuilding Trust

The National Extension College will be working with employees to establish new working relationships and communications through the development of a new Staff Council and newsletter. They intend to implement team-building training for staff and their representatives and management. They also hope to develop and implement a Corporate Plan with their staff, to develop marketing, production, student support, tutor relationships and ICT.

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 73

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Bedford Housing Link is seeking to work with employees to develop an internal stakeholder approach to creation and dissemination of strategies and operational procedures. They hope to develop new ways for staff and volunteers to become involved in fundraising, and improve two-way communication between teams.

Sector: Housing

Number of Employees: 56

Project Grant: £25,233.00

Crew Scheduling Partnership

easyjet Airline Company Plc along with easyjet’s Leader of Workplace 'Consultative Councils' plan to develop an 'early involvement' consultative framework for management and staff. They will deploy an e-platform to enable rapid communication for all partners involved and promote the exchange of best practice between the remote bases.

Sector: Transport, Storage & Communication

Number of Employees: 2870

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Space to Think

Exemplas Holdings Ltd ( formally - Hertfordshire Business Centre Ltd - ) and their staff will identify the key drivers that affect their attitude to work. They have already identified the need to establish a range of working options that will best meet the requirements of their staff and the growth needs of the business. Hertfordshire Business Centre want to maintain staff turnover at an acceptable level and provide a working environment that is perceived to be a tangible benefit in the recruitment market. One of their over-arching aims is to establish a culture of mutual trust and understanding between management and staff that supports and encourages flexible working arrangements and maintains a high quality of service to their clients.

Sector: Other

Number of Employees: 20

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Working in Partnership to Improve Grievance Resolution

Derbyshire Constabulary, UNISON, the Derbyshire Police Federation, and the Derbyshire Black Police Association will be working in collaboration to develop and implement a new procedure for resolving grievances. Through employee consultation and research into alternative methods of resolution, they aim to produce a new policy for grievance resolution based on the research, best practice, and contribution of all partners. They will also develop dissemination and marketing materials to raise awareness of the new policy, and deliver training programmes to support its implementation. The overall aims of this project will be to develop employee support mechanisms, improve efficiency, adopt a joint problem solving approach, improve working relationships, and embed the principles of partnership and joint problem solving into the organisational culture.

Sector: Police Service

Project Grant: £47,500

Proposal for Partnership Working between British Footwear Association and KFAT

British Footwear Association with KFAT and the TUC Partnership Institute are seeking to support three companies in the footwear industry to introduce flexible working in the workplace, using a partnership approach. They ultimately hope to encourage more women and young people into the workforce to replace the ageing, but highly skilled workforce currently employed. The project is designed to look at the introduction of family-friendly arrangements which make the industry more attractive to women and younger people, and also to break down some of the outdated demarcation inherent in the industry.

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Members: 50000

Project Grant: £50,000

Together We Can

Nottingham Health Care NHS Trust will be working with employees to improve staff involvement and empowerment in decision making through Partnership Workshops. They intend to work together to support the implementation of the Hours of Work Project, with the twin objectives of improving user experience of the service, and improving work-life balance for staff. They hope to provide a system of team-based self-rostering which it is hoped will improve staff morale.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 4800

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Hawthornes Printers and their staff see that through building effective working relationships between management and production employees an enhanced working synergy and best practice will ensue. This should raise employees awareness to the importance of their involvement and identify individual and group needs.

Sector: Other

Number of Employees: 72

Project Grant: £40,402.00

Flexibility Project

Golden Wonder Ltd with USDAW and AMICUS will be working in partnership with their factory personnel. The aim is to increase profitability and customer responsiveness in their Corby manufacturing facility through increasing the skills set and working time flexibility.

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Employees: 1200

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Working Smarter, Not Harder

Shoefayre Limited in partnership with their staff will develop and deliver a work smarter, not harder approach. This will be achieved by using a partnership approach to problem solving and developing an effective two-way communications strategy review of working practices.

Sector: Wholesale & Retail Trade

Number of Employees: 2123

Project Grant: £35,000.00

The Smith Partnership will be working with employees to establish a Communications Forum to investigate reasons for high staff turnover and develop solutions to reduce turnover. They will implement solutions such as revised terms and conditions of employment, improved communication and a new pay and benefits structure, with the aim of reducing labour turnover by at least 50% by July 2005.

Sector: Professional and Legal Services

Number of Employees: 226

Project Grant: £2582.25

Rushcliffe Homes Ltd are working with their employees to develop a communications and training strategy to ensure staff have the correct skills and knowledge to enable the Works Council to operate effectively.

Sector: Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities

Number of Employees: 72

Project Grant: £14,255.00

Trax Portable Access – The Partnership Approach

Trax Portable Access Ltd with their staff are intent on developing the skills necessary to support and deliver the organisations growth strategy. This will be achieved by involving all employees as partners in a programme designed to create and operate the Trax Portable Access Academy (TPA). TPA is a workforce training and development programme intended to deliver profitable sustainable growth. This can be achieved through raising baseline skills of existing staff, supporting new employees and creating career progression routes.

Sector: Transport, storage & communication

Number of Employees: 38

Project Grant: £38,043.00

Success Through Partnership in a Foundation Hospital

Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust with Joint Trade Unions aim to provide a radically different partnership arrangement between management and trade unions within a new foundation hospital set up. They hope to achieve higher levels of employee satisfaction and promote fairness and equity in pay systems. Ultimately creating a philosophy which aims to satisfy mutual and separate interests.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 4992

Project Grant: £42,500.00

London:

UR in Partnership

United Response is aiming to use a partnership approach to develop a new competency framework for staff, and then build and deliver a new training and development programme, equipping staff with the necessary skills and abilities to work effectively in this environment. The aim is to give greater job satisfaction and help the organisation to achieve its aim of providing consistently high quality services. The project aims to achieve this by developing a mentoring programme, and training and developing potential managers with a positive action initiative to develop staff from minority ethnic groups. The project will be overseen by a joint staff/management team who will who will hold focus groups with staff and send questionnaires to employees. Through this project, United Response hope to see a reduction in staff turnover, an increase in length of service, improvement in staff performance, an increase in staff satisfaction, an increase in retention of business, a reduction in agency staff usage, and reduced sickness levels.

Sector: Health and social work

Number of Employees: 1623

Project Grant: £50,000

The SMART Working Project

London Borough of Hounslow and UNISON are seeking to evaluate SMART Working as a strategic approach to address recruitment, retention and accommodation issues. The project will involve working with staff and the Trade Union to develop more efficient processes and systems, address the need for more accommodation in an environment where appropriate stock is difficult to find and prohibitively expensive, and to consider provision of work-life balance options. The overall aim of the project is to introduce a more attractive and flexible working environment.

Sector: Local Government

Number of Employees: 774

Project Grant: £50,000

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National Inspection Council for Electrical Instillation Contracting (NICEIC) and Prospect are seeking to improve communication effectiveness and business performance. They aim to achieve this through developing a series of cultural changes and improving and developing working relationships and partnerships in the workplace.

Sector: Electricity, Gas and Water - Regulator

Number of Employees: 240

Project Grant: £30,652

Supporting Occupational Therapy Professional Service Development through Effective Partnership Working

UNISON is seeking to build upon the developing relationship between the BAOT, UNISON and the College of Occupational Therapists by developing a new model of partnership working. They aim to bring together the industrial relations and professional advisory support to Occupational Therapy staff to enable them to respond locally to organisational changes. They are aiming to develop virtual and collaborative networks that facilitate networking and sharing of emerging best practice/experience of innovation and change, as well as ensuring effective dissemination of the products and services developed in the project. The overall aim of the project is to improve the professional status and maintain positive morale of the OT profession within health and social care.

Sector: Union

Number of Members: 25000

Project Grant: £50,000

Partners in Fellowship

Windsor Fellowship with their staff aim to inspire employees of an ethnic minority to realise their full potential and see an improvement in working patterns. They will introduce flexible working arrangements which will enable staff to make positive choices and result in improved service delivery processes.

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 19

Project Grant: £38,107.68

EduAction with the TGWU will be working to improve employee satisfaction and retention, by building on and developing transferable competencies within the workforce, enabling employees to meet the rapidly changing demands of schools. They intend to instigate a Culture Change Programme drawing on practice from public and private sectors and managed by an Employee Satisfaction Co-ordinator. They also aim to develop more effective internal communications systems and innovative change systems

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 350

Project Grant: £36,988.00

Walsingham will be working with employees to build a new organisational culture reflecting what support employees need to do their job more efficiently. They intend to achieve this through interviews, questionnaires and focus groups, which it is hoped will create a culture where staff feel valued and listened to thereby improving job satisfaction and staff retention.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 525

Project Grant: £50,000.00

COF Partnership Building

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 15

Project Grant: £18,863.00

MRS Partnership at Work Project

The Market Research Society will be working with employees to establish and maintain a staff forum. They will also be working to improve communication and leadership skills at all levels, and plan to implement an intranet to share information across the organisation.

Sector: Professional Services

Number of Employees: 37

Project Grant: £24,700.00

Managing Success

Coombe Girl's School along with employees will try to strengthen their organisational capacity through joint working and training. They aim to develop nation-wide in leading innovation and collaborative projects within the education sector. Their hope is that this will be achieved through creating joint approaches to solving business issues as well as managing success through diagnosis of current concerns, setting up effective systems, procedures and processes. Additionally they hope to manage successful collaboration more effectively, thus enabling and supporting people in making contributions to their Leading Edge Programme.

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 152

Project Grant: £47,252.25

Working Together to Build a Better Company

etc venues with their staff aim to create an effective structure for management and employees to work together by establishing an Employee Forum. They will also establish employee sub-groups which will look at specific issues and areas of interest.

Sector: Other

Number of Employees: 111

Project Grant: £8,500.00

Developing Internal Communications Policies using a Participative Approach

Sector: Other

Number of Employees: 72

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Eco-Teams @ Work

Global Action Plan with their staff are aiming to ensure employees understand and endorse GAP's visions and mission by improving environmental knowledge across the organisation.

Sector: Other

Number of Employees: 31

Project Grant: £7,800.00

London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham with UNISON will be introducing a series of equality and cultural awareness training sessions. The aim is to ensure an inclusive workplace and to reduce discriminatory practices. This partnership project hopes to improve the provision of service currently being offered by the Housing Services staff. This will be achieved by building a strong working relationship between a number of internal departments, employees and UNISON.

Sector: Local Government

Number of Employees: 6500

Project Grant: £30,060.50

Addressing Absenteeism and Low Morale amongst Staff, within an Intensive Education Centre for Children and Young People with Autism

The TreeHouse Trust with their staff plan to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation, in both the quality of direct service and the delivery to existing beneficiaries. They want to enhance their ability to implement strategic plans in order to help them grow and disseminate work on a national basis. The collaborative partnership between employees and employer, should enhance their work and address the extreme levels of stress amongst staff.

Sector: Health & Social Work

Number of Employees: 54

Project Grant: £34,874.00

Transforming the Culture of Communication in the Workplace for Sensory Impaired People

sensory impaired managers and increased numbers of sensory impaired staff undertaking personal development.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 1450

Project Grant: £27,000.00

Shaftesbury Change Management Partnership

Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa is working with its employees to ensure they continue working together constructively, ultimately sharing knowledge, expertise and skills to enhance the service to children. The project will involve identifying, designing and piloting various work patterns that can deliver an enhanced service to young people and respond to employees working and family needs. It will also identify, design and pilot appropriate mechanisms for consultation and communication.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 196

Project Grant: £50,000.00

North West:

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Parkhaven Trust and UNISON are seeking solutions to help staff balance the dual responsibilities of family and work, whilst meeting the statutory staffing demands placed on the Trust by the Care Standards Act 2000. They intend to form a steering group made up of all grades of staff and management, plus UNISON members. This group will develop staff questionnaires on family and life priorities of staff. From this questionnaire they intend to develop a plan of action, setting out which areas are of importance to staff, what the partnership hopes to achieve in these areas and how to achieve their goals. They aim to develop a web page with information about flexible working options, and to share knowledge gained with similar providers via a guide to flexible working. The overall aim of the project is to increase stability of care staff and reduce staff absence.

Number of Employees: 240

Project Grant: £32,000

Embedding ‘Together in Partnership’ in United Utilities (Service Delivery)

United Utilities (Service Delivery), Prospect, UNISON, AMICUS, the GMB and the TGWU are aiming to establish a progressive organisation which integrates two large utility companies though support from Trade Union partners. The project objectives are to develop and implement a joint Partnership Development Programme for Managers and union representatives to encourage closer working, joint sharing ideas to develop a Performance Management Scheme, a revised grading structure, and modern and fair employment terms and conditions. They also intend to improve communication via the intranet and newsletters.

Sector: Electricity, Gas and Water Supply

Number of Employees: 4400

Project Grant: £45,500

Joint Learning Partnership

Merseytravel with UNISON will develop their already established Joint Learning Forum so it acts as a catalyst to change. The project will involve the development of a Learning Resource Centre to tackle the issue of ‘Key Skills for Life’

Sector: Transport, Storage & Communication

Number of Employees: 850

Project Grant: £44,500.00

Partnership Working at Cumbria County Council

Cumbria County Council with UNISON and the GMB will be working together to jointly educate and train managers, HR officers, trade union representatives and Council Members to encourage and enable them to use a partnership approach to jointly resolve workplace issues.

Sector: Local Government

Number of Employees: 11011

Project Grant: £34,025.00

Partners in Leadership through Transformation

Westinghouse UK Fuel Business is working with their employees to build the capacity of the existing Joint Leadership Team. They are aiming to maintain their level of excellence in safety, quality, environmental and manufacturing performance.

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Employees: 1550

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Lancashire County Council, the National Association of Headteachers, the Secondary Heads Association and the National Union of Teachers will be working together to develop a more effective working partnership between the LEA, the headteachers of schools within Lancashire and the professional associations representing them. They intend to identify stressors facing headteachers, to audit support already existing for headteachers and to identify additional support required. Through gathering examples of good practice across Lancashire, they hope to support headteachers in improving their work-life balance and quality of life.

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 650

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Shared Values - Business Success

Oldham Community Leisure is working with UNISON and their staff to change their organisational culture. They wish to move from a division of a local authority to an involving and highly participative multi-stakeholder environment. The projects aims include increasing stakeholder engagement, developing effective governance and reviewing personnel procedures. All of which will form the basis of an organisational wide culture change. Oldham Community Leisure will fully encourage active participation, develop confidences, and build consensus, common purpose and respect for diversity within the Centre.

Sector: Leisure

Number of Employees: 140

Project Grant: £31,891.00

Excellence Through Partnership

Vorsprung Business Solutions Ltd is working with their employees to develop a culture of quality and commitment based on best practice. The project aims to improve relationships with all stakeholders through the development of a more inclusive way of working and empowering people by involving them in decision-making.

Sector: Professional Services

Number of Employees: 30

Project Grant: £41,123.75

Growing Leaders

Youth Federation with Weston Spirit Trading and Partnership at Work hope that through consultation and team work the organisation will continue to grow. The aim is that by building on the staff consultation practices already underway they will be able to guarantee that goals within the organisation are shared. They will be using different devices including a staff survey to identify areas in which staff and management feel they need additional training and support and a leadership development programme which will help to reinforce interdependence between managers and workers. This partnership endeavours to work with other voluntary sector providers in an effort to share skills and experience.

Sector: Health & Social Work

Number of Employees: 26

Project Grant: £23,500.00

North East

Modernisation Through Partnership

Gateshead Health NHS Trust with Gateshead PCT and UNISON will strive to improve partnership working, communications and staff involvement in the modernisation of patient services. They will facilitate and encourage the early involvement and participation of staff when decisions that effect roles, job design or systems and processes take place. By working jointly with staff representatives to set foundations for organisational staff charters the partnership hope to improve levels of staff satisfaction and increase communication during times of change. The project will also ensure that all staff are aware of ways in which they can influence the agenda.

Sector: Health & Social Work

Number of Employees: 2395

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Progress Through Partnership

Gateshead Council, UNISON, UCATT, the GMB and AMICUS will be working together to modernise the council’s approach to employee relations with respect to communication, consultation, involvement and negotiation. They intend to create a better understanding of the roles of trade union officials and representatives and raise awareness among both managers and trade unions of what constitutes effective, modern, employee relations.

Sector: Local Government

Number of Employees: 8475

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Sector: Police Service

Number of Employees: 2584

Project Grant: £30,000.00

Cummins Engine Co. Ltd.are working with AMICUS to maintain the company lead in information and consultation. The aim is to move beyond compliance with the Information and Consultation Directive to bring alive the COS through pilot projects within the organisation. The project will address any identified gaps in skills and trust of both managers and employee representatives. All of which will enable the existing process to work more effectively.

Sector: Engineering

Number of Employees: 4200

Project Grant: £49,868.83

From Far East to North East – Reversing the trend through effective partnership

Bison Bede will be working with employees to manage the transfer of product manufacture from Korea to Consett. Through partnership working they hope to implement world-class practices, reduce costs, and improve inventory.

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Employees: 114

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Scotland:

Work and Family in Harmony

Glenmorangie with the GMB are seeking to introduce flexible working hours for improved employee morale and motivation by improving work-life balance. The project will introduce a system of flexible benefits to enable employees to tailor their own benefits package to better meet their needs.

Sector: Food and Drink

Number of Employees: 356

Project Grant: £50,000

The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, UNISON, the GMB, the RCN, and the TGWU are aiming to design and develop staff events, which allow employees to contribute to defining a new culture and values. They hope to achieve this through the creation of a steering group to plan and oversee the project, but to deliver events to all staff. The project will encompass a review of what has been learned from staff views, and to implement new values and behaviours.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 520

Project Grant: £50,000

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The Edrington Group is working with employees to find the best way of employing staff through flexible working arrangements to support the highly seasonal nature of the company. The overall aims of the project are to retain skilled employees, enhance and develop the partnership between employers and employees, and implement a structured planning process.

Project partners are Harry Donaldson at the GMB and AMICUS

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Employees: 889

Project Grant: £50,000

Partnership Working at Banff and Buchan College

Banff and Buchan College is aiming to work with employees to break down barriers in Joint Negotiating Committees, establish openness, trust and respect between staff and managers, and achieve the future success of College through joint working, problem solving and decision making. The project will be conducted through the creation of a Partnership Forum, bringing together all staff for partnership training and surveys, through which it is intended there will be improved communication with staff and involvement in decision making process.

The project partners are the employees covering Lecturers, Support Staff and Managers

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 215

Project Grant: £40,502

Grampian Police with the Scottish Police Federation and UNISON will be working together in partnership to establish organisational values and closer working relationships between employers and employees.

Sector: Police Service

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Improving Working Lives in Fife

Fife Council are working with UNISON to develop a teamwork approach to culture change within the Social Work Service. They hope to improve their employees work-life balance by implementing flexible working options, ensuring that business objectives and standards are sustained and improved. The project will involve staff at all levels through consultation, representation on steering groups, management workshops and pilot projects.

Sector: Local Government

Number of Employees: 4000

Project Grant: £47,850.00

Pagan Osbourne’s Employee Forum: Working in partnership to develop the workforce and promote improved workplace relationships

Pagan Osborne will be working with employees to change the way in which management and staff work together. They aim to achieve this by promoting improved workplace relationships and developing the workforce.

Sector: Professional and Legal Services

Number of Employees: 120

Project Grant: £11,901.00

Delivery of manufacturing improvement programmes through a culture change programme to engage all manufacturing employees

Brand Rex Ltd with AMICUS are seeking to identify and prioritise key business improvement activities. The project will involve the implementation of new manufacturing structures, effective teams, and new working practices. It is hoped that the project will have a positive impact on key performance indicators and improve employee survey scores on communication, management style and team work.

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Employees: 338

Project Grant: £44,662.50

The Knowledge Exchange at ENABLE

ENABLE Scotland with their staff will be working to develop a knowledge management strategy and knowledge-sharing culture. They will also develop a mentoring programme.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 4485

Project Grant: £50,000.00

Renfrewshire Association for Mental Health is working with its employees to formulate an action plan that will address improvements in communication, values, processes, procedures and their corporate mission. Senior management and employees will, through their Employee Reference Group, jointly attend a series of externally facilitated brainstorming meetings, discussions, focus groups and strategic analysis sessions.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 103

Project Grant: £11,875.00

Scottish Association for Mental Health are working with T&G and their staff to improve employee motivation and commitment by increasing participation. The project will facilitate a review of management procedures and practices. It will assist in the alignment of values and culture change through a series of workshops and build upon the capacity of the organisation by improving the skills set within it.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 440

Project Grant: £38,650.00

Working Together in Partnership to achieve Best Practice People Management

Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and their staff hope to continue to develop and deliver its services in partnership with one another by establishing the role of a partnership co-ordinator who will work with employees and employers. They will develop and deliver a training strategy and maximise staff commitment. They will ensure staff involvement and develop and establish a policy framework.

Sector: Health & Social Work

Number of Employees: 4500

Project Grant: £50,000.00

South East:

Culture Change Programme

Kent Police, the Kent Minority Ethnic Police Association, the Kent Gay and Lesbian Support Group, and Kent Police Federation are working together to improve staff morale and satisfaction, and improve the perception of management capability, as well as improving public satisfaction and perception. They aim to achieve this by improving communications particularly in relation to implementation of changes in the organisation, establishing a pool of trained workplace investigators, and changing the way managers and staff work together.

Sector: Police Service

Number of Employees: 5583

Project Grant: £50,000

Work-Life Balance – Developing Best Practice through a Partnership Approach

Oxford Brookes University, NAFTHE, and the Oxford Brookes Administrators’ Forum are seeking to develop work-life balance best practice through a partnership approach, with the aim of improving employee job satisfaction, performance, and the recruitment and retention of staff. They also hope to achieve consistency in the way line managers implement policies and enable staff to contribute towards development of work-life balance. They aim to improve communication of existing policies and practices by making information fully accessible via brochures and web-sites, and by ensuring that the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Co-ordinators have the necessary knowledge to offer support on work life balance issues. All three partners will be involved in a working party to review relevant policies, and good practice will be shared through seminars for managers and online good practice guides to be compiled.

Sector: Education

Number of Employees: 2124

Project Grant: £39,400

Partnership in Progress

Thames Water, UNISON, and the GMB aim to develop and improve general perceptions about, understanding of, and commitment to the partnership existing between Thames Water and their trade unions. They intend to further improve employee involvement, participation and representation, and to increase Trade Union membership. They are seeking to develop a constructive and open employee relations culture which assists in the delivery of organisational change. They hope to raise awareness of and revitalise the existing Partnership Agreement and firmly embed Partnership as part of the culture of Thames Water so that it makes a realistic contribution to business decision-making. The project will identify and develop key skills and behaviours under Partnership for Trade Union representatives and managers, enhance the quality of communications, and design and implement initiatives that measure the impact, performance and effectiveness of Partnership, plus the skills and behaviours of the key stakeholders within it.

Number of Employees: 4500

Project Grant: £50,000

Chameleon III

VT Shipbuilding with the Confederation of Shipbuilding Engineering Unions are seeking to change the way in which unions and management work together. The intended outcome of the project is to achieve Investors in People accreditation.

Sector: Construction

Number of Employees: 955

Project Grant: £50,000

Achieving Diversity in Employment

British Furniture Manufacturers Ltd, the GMB and FFINTO are working together to address the issues of ageing workforce and declining recruitment in the furniture industry by developing and disseminating a code of practice on managing equality and diversity in employment. They are aiming to support the sustainability of employment within the sector by achieving a more diverse workforce and skills base by broadening the labour pool and providing equal opportunities for all in employment. They hope to achieve this through concluding a partnership agreement between the BFM and the GMB, recognising the importance and benefits of equality and diversity; developing a framework against which progress and achievements may be benchmarked and monitored within individual companies; and developing a standard of accreditation to recognise good equality and diversity practice in individual companies.

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Employees: 250

Project Grant: £50,000

Growth through Partnership

Devon Cornwall Probation Board with JNCC representatives for NAPO are seeking to develop through scenario planning and other methods different models of service delivery which can meet long term challenges. They aim to improve targeting of core work and reduce excessive workload for staff by developing a model of service delivery for low risk offenders. They also hope to reduce staff sickness absence levels by commissioning a study to understand the key factors associated with the 42% of sickness associated with anxiety and stress.

Sector: Criminal Justice

Number of Employees: 480

Project Grant: £45,750

Building Partnership

Sector: Transport, Storage and Communication

Number of Employees: 7027

Project Grant: £36,300.00

Elizabeth Fitzroy Support will be working with employees to transform the role of staff forums from discussion panels to decision-making groups where participants play a key role in improving internal communications. They intend to train representatives in skills to gather and present views, give constructive feedback to management, and communication. It is hoped that the status of forum representatives will be raised and their effectiveness will be increased. They will also review the structure and organisation of the staff forum to reflect the new regional management of the organisation.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 456

Project Grant: £19,329.19

Lighthouse Working for Future Success

Lighthouse Arts & Training Ltd with their staff would like to ensure all members are able to understand and communicate the groups mission and vision. They hope to identify better ways of working more effectively as a team, leading to improved staff morale and a reduction in sickness levels.

Sector: Other

Number of Employees: 10

Project Grant: £16,257.00

Stress Management in Wokingham District Council

Wokingham District Council in partnership with UNISON are seeking to exceed HSE targets for stress management in all areas, and similarly would like to see a reduction in stress-related illnesses. The projects aim is to moderate staff turnover and see a decline in referrals to the Council Occupational Health Advisers by 20%. They would like to raise their profile thus improving the response to job advertisements which it is hoped will make Wokingham District the employer of choice in the area.

Sector: Local Government

Number of Employees: 3918

South West

Embedding Partnership – Cornish Health Community

Royal Cornwall Hospitals will be working with UNISON to embed Partnership principles within the organisation. They will promote the development of new ways of working including: flexible working initiatives, family friendly initiatives, flexible retirement and carers leave.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: ?

Project Grant: £50,000.00

West Midlands:

Mind in Birmingham Staff Consultation Forum

Mind in Birmingham is seeking to develop an independent Staff Consultation Forum which exceeds the legislative minimum of the Information and Consultation Directive. They are aiming to move away from the traditional Command & Control Culture prevalent within the voluntary sector and create a Consultative Culture to encourage staff involvement in decision making. Working with staff to create understanding as to why decisions are made, they aim to improve morale, enable staff to gain a sense of involvement and achievement, reduce annual turnover, and aim for a happier more committed workforce.

Sector: Voluntary

Project Grant: £8,650

Sustaining Partnership in a Performance Culture

Lafarge Cement UK other Partners are: GMB, AMICUS, BCSA and T&G is seeking to work with employees to build a joint process titled People Inspiration Plan (PIP) to sustain on a long term basis a partnership and performance culture. They aim to develop a clear understanding of company business plans through joint national and local partnership teams, joint target setting linked to rewarding achievement of KPIs, an ongoing employee relations course, a joint review andmeasurement tool, a joint improvement plan, and a communication process to update employees on performance.

Sector: Manufacturing

Number of Employees: 1500

Project Grant: £50,000

A New Start – Achieving Partnership Working

The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust are working with AMICUS, The Society of Radiographers and RCN to create an effective employee partnership which will ultimately lead to a more successful Trust. The project will facilitate a change in the management structure from one that constrains the organisation to one that presents opportunities. They will work in partnership to determine an employee relations framework to enable joint working in achieving business objectives.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: ?

Project Grant: £47,783.00

The West Midlands South Workforce Development Confederation with UNISON will conduct and audit and review of local policies and practices to encompass best practice legislation.

Sector: Health and Social Work

Number of Employees: 4000

Project Grant: £4,100.00

Better Services, Better Environment, For People, By People

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council are working with UNISON and GMB to create a sustainable model which will provide and encourage flexibility, improve motivation amongst staff, improve satisfaction and improve the level of service for all stakeholders. This project will ensure that such practice is embedded within the organisational culture and becomes standard practice.

Sector: Local Government

Number of Employees: 6000

Project Grant: £33,450.00

AIP Ltd Partnership Project

Automotive Industrial Partnerships will be working with employees to develop a sense of partnership in the business through involvement of the whole workforce in agreeing common values and objectives. They intend to create self-directed work teams to operate as mini-businesses, with the aim of improving employee satisfaction and motivation, as well as providing opportunity for personal growth.