A new Northern forum has been set up to influence public policy on the future world of work.
Human resources and people development body the CIPD has launched the Northern Policy Forum, saying it will run campaigns to address regional inequality, drive positive workplace change and champion more quality jobs for all ages.
More than 140 senior HR and people development professionals from sectors including housing, education, manufacturing, healthcare and retail, across the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber, have signed up to become a member of the new forum.
Together they aim to represent a vision of better work and working lives by insights on a range of workplace areas, including health and wellbeing, inclusion and diversity, along with pay and reward.
The group will also help the CIPD respond to work-related Government consultations and recommend changes to policy, as well as create best practice guidance for employers and policy makers.
Policy leads from the forum will also work with the CIPD’s public policy team, to present learnings from the pandemic to the Government’s Flexible Working Taskforce, which is co-chaired by the CIPD’s chief executive Peter Cheese, to help organisations adapt to new ways of agile working.
The forum will be managed by the CIPD Northern England team, which formed in 2019 and has more than 29,000 members, working with HR leaders, employers, combined authorities and policymakers to create good employment standards across all business sectors.
Daphne Doody-Green, head of CIPD Northern England said: “The world of work, and the needs of both employers and workers across all sectors is changing and evolving at pace. This is why it’s so important that our region’s businesses have a platform to use their voice and help influence Government on the future world of work.
“We’re looking forward to the CIPD Northern Policy Forum having a hugely positive impact on the North’s organisations and employees. It will do this by ensuring the CIPD’s propositions and policies – on everything from youth employment, hybrid working and wellbeing at work - reflect the needs of both our region’s employers and workers, and add value for members.”
