Pizza Express Employee Forum

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We worked with PizzaExpress on setting up an Employee Forum - a company - wide agreement of elected employee representatives, with a wide remit to bring issues from employees to senior management, as well as improving communication to all levels of the company; the aim being to encourage participation, involvement and create shared understanding. Forum representatives are also empowered to represent their colleagues in statutory consultation and in establishing workforce agreements. The Forum was structured to be compatible with European Works Council requirements - as PizzaExpress has business across the European Union.

The project involved establishing a constitution and operating framework for the Forum at all levels in the business and providing information for employees thinking of standing for election as Forum representative. Guidance material for successful candidates on their rights and responsibilities in relation to the Forum and their colleagues was also provided. Coincidentally, a dedicated 'road show' was run by Steve Perkins at PizzaExpress to introduce the concept at local level across the business.

Steve commented: " Our workforce is largely unused to attending formal meetings or handling much paperwork, so early explanation promoted clear understanding of what we were trying to achieve. Nick Taylor (HR Director) told us: "At a conference on EU Works Councils, an official informed me that the PizzaExpress Forum constitution had been used as a model of how things should be done."

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