YTKO believes the Charter offers the opportunity to retain staff and make sure that they feel valued

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

We understand that it is important to constantly improve and strive to create an excellent workplace for our team at YTKO. The Charter offers the opportunity to retain our staff and make sure that they feel valued. We also listen to the needs of our staff and understand that we must offer an appropriate working environment to ensure that we are productive and also remain attractive to new talent when recruiting.

YTKO meets nearly all the Good Employment Charter standards. We don't use any zero hours contracts, have a flexible working policy, pay living wage, have an employee engagement process, have a fair and transparent recruitment process, and ensure that all employees have the ability to develop and feel supported in their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

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

Everyone should feel valued in their workplace, regardless of role, and these standards help to make sure that employees are treated fairly and with respect so that they can flourish in their roles; creating a culture of ownership across the whole company.

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

I think that it will encourage all businesses to strive for a level of excellence; making the region an example in terms of attracting and developing talent, driving inward investment and creating an infrastructure that supports these standards.

At the moment many organisations are struggling to recruit so I would stress the importance that a company's culture can play in the recruitment process. If the standards are high, and employees feel valued, then you will attract the best talent and retain it over the long term.

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.