Exploring Colleague Representation: Putting colleagues at the heart of everything we do
Moving mountains to support the growing number of people with cancer
Macmillan, and the vital support we offer, has never been more needed than it is right now
Earlier this year we announced that there are now almost 3.5million people living with cancer across the UK – that’s the highest number ever reported. And right now, cancer care isn’t fair. There are huge gaps in the care that people receive, and this can be made much worse simply based on who they are or where they live – this must change.
It’s vital that every pound donated by our generous supporters works as hard as possible to get the right care to those who need our support.
That’s why we recently launched our ambitious new strategy, to ensure we can do whatever it takes to reach more of that growing number of people today, and to transform cancer care for tomorrow. So that the problems facing the 3.5 million right now, aren’t still facing them in 2030 and beyond.
Putting colleagues at the heart of our decision-making
To be able to achieve our goals together, we need all our hard-working colleagues to continue coming to work knowing their voice is heard, valued and supported, because when our colleagues are at their best, Macmillan does its very best work for people living with cancer.
Like many organisations, we have felt the impact of a tough financial climate and so last year we made some difficult but necessary choices to refocus our efforts. Now, by making these difficult decisions, Macmillan is in a strong financial position, but we know that this has been a challenging time. As we look ahead to the future, the time is right for us to review how colleague voice is represented.
We strongly believe that this decision should be made by our colleagues. That’s why we are putting the choice about how colleagues are represented firmly in colleagues’ hands.
Working with partners to shape change within Macmillan
These partners have brought invaluable insight and challenge to the issues affecting our colleagues, helping us to ensure the best interests of our colleagues remain at the heart of every decision we make.
Now, we are supporting colleagues to explore additional ways to represent their voice. To support colleagues through this process we have set up an internal working group, made up of a diverse range of colleagues, which has sought out a breadth of views about how colleagues want their interests represented, and the different options available to us. We have also brought in an independent expert to guide colleagues through the various options of representation available, explaining what different choices mean for colleagues as individuals and the charity collectively. We have also invited different unions to present to colleagues, laying out how they would work with and support individuals across the organisation.
Services colleagues ballot outcome
Alongside this process, we recently entered an agreement with Unite the Union to hold a separate ballot with eligible colleagues from our Services team. This was in response to a request from Unite the Union, which has a membership presence within this part of the organisation.
Services colleagues have decided that we will move forward with union representation for the organisation’s Services team.
We support the outcome of the vote and welcome Unite the Union as a partner in strengthening colleague voice at Macmillan. We’re looking forward to working together constructively to make Macmillan the best possible place to work, so we can continue delivering outstanding support for people living with cancer.
What matters most to us is that every colleague feels heard, supported, and empowered in their work. We're now looking ahead to the outcome of the all-organisation ballot, which will shape how colleague representation is established across the organisation.
Read more
-
News and stories 21 Jan 2025As the number of people living with cancer in the UK rises to almost 3.5 million, change is urgently needed to improve cancer services and address the unacceptable gaps in experiences.
-
News and stories 17 Dec 2024Macmillan’s Chief Executive Gemma Peters reflects on a difficult year for people living with cancer and a formative year for the cancer charity, and explains why she is heading into 2025 with hope.
-
News and stories 08 Apr 2024Macmillan’s Chief Executive Gemma Peters reflects on the start of Macmillan’s year of transformation and the opportunity for the organisation to become better, more efficient and more impactful.
