SWY Secure GM Good Employer Status!
We’re delighted that all our hard work, creating a great place to work at Starts with you, has been recognised by GM Good Employment Charter as we achieve Official Supporter status!
We are on the right tracks and are proud to be part of the movement at the forefront of developing Good Employment in GM and excited about taking the next steps to realise our ambition to achieve Member status.
It is particularly important to Starts with you (SWY) because we are all about good employment. Our business is absolutely focused on making sure we support access to and create opportunities for good quality employment. Whether we are supporting our customers with employability skills or creating jobs in our environmental services teams, it’s what we do!
But no job is “just a job” whatever we may say. Our work impacts every part of our lives. It is linked to every aspect; financial stability and security, self-worth, “family” and personal life, relationships, where we live and our physical and mental wellbeing.
Sadly, here in the UK in 2020, far too many people struggle to get into employment and once there are not always safe and supported in their roles to make sure that work has a nett positive impact on their life. As a social enterprise and ethical employer, we are determined to role model sustainable, quality employment that allows employees to be their best self, both at work and in their life outside. We believe that we work best when we are valued, supported, and share a common purpose.
At SWY we are working hard to be #OneTeam working with #Passion, #Integrity and #Ambition to #Empower people.
As a relatively young business we have already made progress to be proud of and have built quality employment into our business model from the beginning. Just a sample of these achievements include:
- establishing a quality employee offer
- creating / sustaining over 40 jobs in Greater Manchester
- becoming a Real Living Wage employer
- establishing our employee forum
- signing up to our co-designed employee Wellbeing Charter
- developing our training and development base line
But is not just about the ticking boxes, we embed our values and approach in everything we do, to deliver a Positive Change for the people and places where we work. Real Living Wage isn’t just about the logo on the website but the extra £30,000+ which goes into our team’s pockets and the local economy every year; our training plans aren’t just about our legal obligations or Health Safety but developing our people and creating opportunity; our Wellbeing Charter isn’t just about reducing sickness absence, it’s about showing that work can and should make a positive contribution to our lives, no matter what the job.
But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what some of our team say about working at SWY:
“From the outset, I felt a warm welcome from the whole team at Starts with you. I received a thorough induction and was given time to learn about the company, it’s structure and values.”
“Starts with you is a great family. We’re small enough to have the opportunity to get to know each other, but big enough to feel like you’re supported by the company. There’s also an open communication through the staff forum, where my voice can really be heard.”
“Working at Starts with you gives me a good feeling of being part of a team, or I could even say part of a family. Starts with you provides top notch personal support when you need it. No lip service! They are inclusive of everyone, help you feel involved and are approachable”
