Employee Forums Development
The EU Information & Consultation Directive gives employees the right to be informed and consulted about the business's economic situation, employment prospects and any decisions that may lead to substantial changes in work practices. The legislation applies to all employers - whether the company is in the private, public or voluntary sectors; whether the company has trade union involvement or not. From March 2005, employers with 150+ employees are affected by the legislation, with employers with 100+ employees becoming subject to it in March 2007 and 50+ employees in March 2008.
The Directive can be seen as an opportunity for employers, trade unions and employees, to establish Partnerships and Forums for the overall good of the business.
For the consultation process to work effectively, employees need to be prepared, with additional development in:
- speaking and presenting
- influencing and negotiating
- facilitating
- report writing
- business awareness
- facilitating group discussions
- leadership and problem management
Many forward-thinking companies already have a forum structure set up and functioning for the good of all involved. We have successfully delivered an innovative forum and partnership development programme to Scottish Water’s Business Unit Councils and 8 major Scotch whisky companies. To read about the Scottish Water project go to our case studies.