Mayor shines a light on better work practices

A regeneration boss has announced the launch of a new regional scheme to boost job quality and fairness across the North East.

North East mayor Kim McGuinness has unveiled Shine, an initiative designed to support employers who lead with fairness, opportunity and respect.

The programme is part of her ‘New Deal for North East workers’ and aims to “unlock untapped potential” by helping more people get into work, stay in work and build their careers.

Mayor McGuinness said: “Today, I am proud to launch Shine, an initiative that drives my vision for a stronger economy powered by great employers and quality jobs.  

“I know employers share our North East values to be fair and inclusive and so give people in our region the best chance to succeed.

“Our mission is to make the North East the home of real opportunity and we can all play our part building that.  

“Shine is how we empower employers of all sizes to improve job quality and celebrate doing so.

“By supporting good employment practices, we aim to unlock the untapped potential of our region and lead the way in creating a brighter future for the North East.”

Shine includes four levels of membership that employers can progress through, encouraging best practice across wellbeing, health and safety, community engagement, green credentials, and ways that good work can help reduce child poverty.

Clare Williams, northern regional secretary for Unison, the UK’s largest union, added: “There is clear evidence that workplaces who recognise trade unions have better staff engagement.  

“Staff want to be valued for their contribution at work.  

“That is why the Shine pledge is so important.  

“It offers four levels of membership that employers can progress through, promoting beams of good business practices.”

More than 350 businesses attended the launch at Customs House, in South Shields, with a goal to reach over 300 employers and 50,000 workers in the first year. 

Charlotte Windebank, managing director and founder of FIRST, an accredited learning and development agency specialising in empowering enterprise skills, added: “As a regional employer, we are proud to fully back Shine accreditation and prioritise adoption of this within our business. 

“It not only enables us to learn from and contribute to best practice, but it also serves as a credible mark of recognition that we are committed to fair and responsible employment. 

“Shine reinforces our belief that when we support and value our team, the benefits are felt by our clients and across our wider community.”

Roadshows will take place across the region to share how Shine works.

To find out more, see here.

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