Guest contributor Robert Downes, GM Development Manager at the Federation of Small Businesses, speaks on the future of office spaces following the pandemic. “Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” the famous line uttered by author Mark Twain after reports of his death – incorrectly as it turned out – emerged in newspapers. And last year, with the lockdown in full swing, and many office businesses asking staff to work remotely, the same cry was levelled at the office.

Three new organisations are announced for the Good Employment Charter's Membership tier, the news is given by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. These employers have reached the Membership tier through their commitment to the Good Employment characteristics, going above and beyond to help lead the employment movement across the region. 

Guest contributors Claire McCartney and Rachel Suff, Policy Advisors at CIPD, speak about how to make workplaces more menopause-friendly. More organisations are starting to realise that the menopause is an important workplace issue, but there are still too many workplaces where the topic is taboo. This means that too many women continue to suffer in silence while often just a few small changes could transform the quality of their working life. 

Guest contributor Andy, a participant of our latest Supporter Network Coffee Chat, speaks on his own experiences with mental illness. These last 18 months have certainly been interesting for all of us for many reasons. For some it has meant the loss of income, loss of jobs, a new start, finding ways to cope with change, taking extreme measures, being trapped indoors, worrying about being isolated and coping with the COVID-19 outbreak.

Guest contributor Stewart Lucas from Mind speaks on mental health throughout the pandemic, and what people can do to look out for each other. It is fantastic having a high-profile Mental Health Awareness Week, but like a dog being for life and not just for Christmas, we should actually be aware of our and other people's mental health all the time and not just a few days in May. Mental health is still seen largely as someone else’s problem, and that is because we subconsciously stick the word illness after those two words. 

Guest contributor Clive Memmott, Chief Executive at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, speaks on the future of flexible working for office workers. A year ago, many of the perceived efficiency savings that organisations thought would result from remote working were in reality cost-saving opportunities. 12 months on, companies are struggling to manage a dispersed workforce and achieve these efficiencies. 

The Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, in partnership with CIPD and Acas, have developed a paper. It discusses the importance, implementation and effect of positive people management skills.

This paper invites employers to explore short and longer-term strategies to enhance the people management skills within their organisation. It also contains several key relevant resources, which will help guide these plans even further.

Guest contributor Chris Dabbs, Chief Executive at Unlimited Potential, speaks on the disability gap in employment - and the benefits of becoming a more inclusive organisation. As an employer, what would you think to having more staff with focus, different thinking and diligence? If you are interested, please read on… Many employers yearn to find talented people who are productive, committed and loyal. Yet, there are parts of the population that remain little known or untapped by many organisations.

In collaboration with the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, The Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter is working to promote how to take care of health in the workplace.

The Mental Health Toolkit for Employers includes information and key approaches employers can take to address Mental Health and Wellbeing in the workplace. This resource is applicable to SMEs and larger firms.