Employee Handbook
We Value Our Recognised Trade Unions
We acknowledge the role trade unions play in working jointly to develop our business and to help us become a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We value partnership working and are committed to a relationship built on trust and respect with our recognised unions. The three main unions for parliamentary staff, in order of size, are Public and Commercial Services, Prospect, and First Division Association. We support and encourage colleagues to belong to a trade union as this supports the principles of collective bargaining, and ensures that our staff have a voice in the matters that affect them.
To join one of our recognised trade unions or for more information on each union and their benefits, colleagues can access information on each union on the intranet.
We Value Your Contributions
Dialogue throughout the organisation at all levels and in all directions is encouraged, because what colleagues say, think and feel matters. We recognise that improving employee engagement has a positive and significant effect on organisational performance. Your managers have a central role to play and will involve you in decisions, listen to your view and encourage you to put forward your suggestions. Ideas generated by colleagues can help shape the future direction of our services and contribute to the successful delivery of our goals. Our values guide us in this inclusive approach.
Inclusiveness
Understanding the big picture and seeking out alternative perspectives. Every colleague feels they are able to make a valued contribution and deliver their best work.
Our staff networks offer a great place for colleagues to come together, share experiences and facilitate learning and development. They also form an important part of the consultative process across a wide range of workplace issues, providing feedback on emerging policies and initiatives. They’re independent of HR and are led by interested members of staff. So, if you want to help improve the way we work, join one of our diversity staff networks.
You’ll also be invited to take part in our staff surveys to let us know how we’re doing in meeting our commitment to our values. We believe they’re a great way to have your say about working here and your feedback will lead to change and action - either locally to where you work or Parliament-wide. Where you tell us there are great things happening we will find out why this is the case and share good practice with others, to encourage collaboration across the organisation.
Staying Informed
In turn, it’s important that you keep up to date with what’s happening in the Parliament. There are a number of ways of staying informed. You will receive a weekly corporate bulletin every Wednesday from the Office of the Clerk/Chief Executive with information about current notices, learning and development opportunities, staff changes and recruitment. Several times a year, staff members also receive a newsletter called EH99. On a regular basis, important updates will be sent from the Clerk/Chief Executive or from our Leadership Group and you are encouraged to read these. Along with the Code of Conduct, the Parliament Communications Office is able to provide guidance and support on communicating with the media and how you can protect yourself.
You can also access information on our website, for instance about our policies and on parliamentary business. The intranet provides information such as the meeting room manager, the menus for our catering facilities and information about offices and teams around the organisation.