Projects aimed at improving working conditions in charities, hospitals, offices and factories are to share £2.5m from the DTI Partnership Fund.
Announcing the latest round of winners, Gerry Sutcliffe, Employment Relations Minister, said: “Good employers know that only by valuing people can you boost productivity and encourage innovation. Working together makes good business sense and is essential for companies and industries committed to success.”
Around £9m has been given out to over 250 projects through the Partnership Fund since it was launched in 1999.
Workplace Partnership Fund winners can receive up to a maximum of £50,000 from the Government. Successful applicants are awarded grants of up to 50% of total project costs, with the remainder being met by participating organisations. Projects for support under the Fund are invited on a competitive basis.
In all, 70 projects costing a total of £5.5m and benefiting almost a quarter of a million workers across the UK will be set up. Two of the successful projects in this round of the Partnership are detailed below.
“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
Project Cost: £116,000.00
“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
Project Cost: £99,990.00
