Clean Slate Training & Employment CIC says the standards reflect their reason for being and their core ethos

A good employer gets it...

Clean Slate Training & Employment CIC

Clean Slate is a community interest company supporting low-income households to improve their financial wellbeing through good money skills, finding work or better work, and getting online. It delivers support and training, and publishes accessible print and digital guides and advice materials.

Jeff Mitchell, from Clean Slate Training & Employment CIC, explains why the company supports the West of England Good Employment Charter.

Why have you chosen to put the good employment standards of the charter in place?

As a social enterprise in business to maximise financial wellbeing for people on low incomes, including through work, it would be 'counter-mission' for us not to. The standards reflect our reason for being and our core ethos.

How do you think the Charter and its support network can help other businesses looking to implement similar standards?

It is important the standards are authentic and not 'window dressing' or the organisation won't see a return on the investment. Good performance management is important to get the best of staff during their progression or they won't learn from knowing when they're going wrong (or right).

Staff who progress internally need access to peers in other organisations to recognise they are in a role on merit, and employers shouldn't fear losing them if better opportunities exist elsewhere for them. They might come back in more senior roles once they have other experience, bringing something new.

How do you think the standards positively impact your employees and business as a whole?

They are, for us, business as usual and have earnt us high levels of staff loyalty/ minimal turnover, enabled us to recruit when others are struggling, and maximised productivity and outcomes

What do you think the benefits are of introducing good employment practice across the West of England?

Clean Slate's goal is keep opening its doors to communities that have experienced hardship or exclusion; this means diversity for our workforce and improved opportunities for harder to reach communities across the region.

Become an employer of choice

About the Charter

The Good Employment Charter is an accreditation scheme that aims to improve employment standards in the West of England for organisations of all sizes and sectors, through characteristics that will raise the value and quality of work, allowing employers to become an ‘employer of choice’, leading them to higher staff retention rates, better productivity and contributing to a thriving economy.

The West of England Good Employment Charter will set the standard for working practices in the region. Supporting businesses of any size or sector to improve investment in their staff, enabling more inclusive, equitable & sustainable working practices, positively benefiting people, society, and the wider economy.