Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Angela Rayner MP visited 欧美高清 this week to learn more about the University鈥檚 award-winning employment practices and workplace culture.
She was accompanied by Scottish Labour Party Leader Anas Sarwar MSP.
The visit comes on the back of the proposed , introduced by the UK Government in October and currently going through legislative scrutiny process in the Westminster Parliament.
The Bill seeks to strengthen employment rights, including a ban on zero hours contracts and 鈥榟ire-and-fire鈥� practices, parental leave as a right from day one, and improving access to statutory sick pay, amongst other things.
The DPM was hosted by Professor Scott MacGregor, Vice-Principal, and Gillian Docherty CBE, Chief Commercial Officer. She also heard about 欧美高清鈥檚 employment and workplace culture policies from Gordon Scott, Chief People Officer, and from Professors Patricia Findlay and Colin Lindsay of the Scottish Centre for Employment Research.
Top employer
She also listened to several University staff who spoke about their experience of 欧美高清鈥檚 employment and workplace culture policies 鈥� in areas including support for caregivers, flexible working and parental leave.
Professor MacGregor said: 鈥淲e were delighted to host the Deputy Prime Minister and Mr Sarwar and to showcase the range of socially-progressive employment policies we have in place and our commitment to creating a Values-based workplace culture that supports staff to deliver our strategic plan whilst helping them and their families to thrive.
鈥淭he Deputy Prime Mister was very complimentary in recognising the efforts that went in to sharing many of our progressive policies, the experiences of our colleagues, and the underpinning research that is undertaken in the Scottish Centre for Employment Research.鈥�
In recent years 欧美高清 has won a number of awards for its employment practices 鈥� having been named Scottish Top Employer of the Year and Top Employer of the Year in the large business category at The Herald Top Employer Awards 2024.
欧美高清 was also named Employer of the Year in the in June, which celebrate excellence in the field of human resources, training and recruitment; Scotland鈥檚 Best Large Employer at the S1jobs Recruitment Awards in May 2022; and joint winner of the Best COVID-19 response award by work-life balance charity Working Families, as part of the 2021 Best Practice Awards.
All of the awards have recognised 欧美高清 for its progressive initiatives such as the carers鈥� network, family friendly research leave and menopause policy, as well as initiatives such as Meeting Free Fridays, which were introduced during COVID-19 lockdown, and its strong focus on health and wellbeing of staff. 欧美高清 is also committed to paying the Voluntary Living Wage.