Rad policies, processes & structures…
A waging system that aims to be socially just, in recognising different needs and backgrounds, and fair to all of its workers. It aims to provide for maximum financial security, and also reflect the organisation's ethics and principles. It's trying to address the fact that pay tends to ignore people's pre-existing circumstances and treats people's time as worthy of different amounts.
A policy that aims to address the lack of support for staff who have caring responsibilities, and the lack of recognition of the different dimensions of what that support might look like. The policy lays out guidelines that aim to help relieve some of this stress and enable both employer and employee to be clear about where they stand regarding support and time off work.
An induction policy to provide a framework for identifying and sorting out any initial difficulties which can occur in the early stages of starting a job. The aim is to provide a supporting structure for the new employee and alleviate some of the initial pressures that can arise when starting a new post. For existing members, it also helps clarify how to support new members effectively.
A sickness policy to support workers who experience illness, designed to find solutions that suit all, and for financial worries not to be an added burden to staff off sick. The policy outlines how the organisation will deal with prolonged absence, repeated short-term absences and/or poor or partial performance of duties due to illness, injury or other medical condition, and aims to ensure they feel supported and fairly treated throughout.
A staff review process aiming to: 1) review progress and priorities, 2) explore and resolve any problems in these areas, 3) discuss the employee's potential and future training needs, 4) set targets for future work and training if relevant. Staff take it in turns to review each other.
A recruitment process for paid staff (permanent or temporary), aiming to overcome the problem of processes that are more likely to recruit people from privileged backgrounds.
A redundancy policy for a collectively-run organisation, which aims to avoid situations of coop member redundancy and offers structures to support staff who may be made redundant, as well as offering alternative employment within the organisation, where possible.
A policy aiming to support employees undertaking short courses and those of a longer duration such as certificates, diplomas or MAs that require intensive study. The policy also recognises that small organisation often have has limited resources. The policy also covers sabbaticals and extended voluntary work.
A policy that aims to improve on the amount of time off and pay linked to statutory parental leave, which can be shared equally between parents.
A policy to support staff who are struggling to meet the aims of their role, rather than treating under-performance as a disciplinary issue, like behavioural or ethical concerns. Acknowledging the ableism that is often implicit in disciplinary policies and offering comprehensive collective support for staff, with a recognition that disability, illness and other wider life circumstances may affect someone's ability to do their job.