The Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter is inviting employers, employees and stakeholders across Greater Manchester to take part in a public consultation on plans to introduce a new Good Employment Culture tier, designed to recognise organisations that go beyond good employment standards to create positive workplace cultures.

The proposal marks the next step in the Charter's evolution. Since launching in 2019, the Charter has worked with employers across Greater Manchester to raise employment standards and support good work. With many of those principles now reflected in employment legislation, the Charter is exploring how workplace culture can be recognised alongside employment practices.

The consultation follows a discovery phase involving Charter Members from a range of sectors and organisation sizes, helping to identify what good workplace culture looks like in practice and how it could be assessed in a credible and meaningful way.

"The Good Employment Charter has helped create better workplaces across Greater Manchester and put dignity and fairness back into work. Today, it has more than 160 members and 2,000 supporters, employing around 250,000 people across the city region.

"Whether it’s through the Bee Network or our Good Growth Fund, by requiring partners who receive public money to commit to good employment, we’ve embedded the Charter’s principles into our procurement and investment decisions.

"Now we have an opportunity to build on that progress and ensure the Charter continues to set the standard for good employment. Workplace culture is central to people's experience of work, shaping how valued, supported and included they feel."

"Good employment standards remain the foundation of good work, but we know they're only part of the picture.

"The way people experience work every day is shaped by workplace culture. It affects how valued, supported and included people feel and can have a significant impact on wellbeing, performance and retention.

"As we look at the future of the Charter, we want to hear from employers, employees and stakeholders across Greater Manchester. Their views will help ensure any future approach to recognising workplace culture is practical, meaningful and reflects the realities of modern workplaces."

Feedback from the consultation will help shape discussions during Good Employment Week 2026, which takes place from 5 to 9 October and will focus on the theme of workplace culture.

Now in its fourth year, Good Employment Week brings together employers, employees and stakeholders from across Greater Manchester to champion good work and share good practice.

As part of the campaign, employees and residents across Greater Manchester will be invited to answer a simple question: "What does your work feel like?" Responses will contribute to a Greater Manchester workplace culture word cloud, helping to build a picture of how people experience work across the city region.

Good Employment Week will also feature a programme of events, including the official launch event, a workshop linked to the national Keep Britain Working Review, a stakeholder consultation event on the proposed culture assessment model and the Charter's annual Best Practice Event.

The consultation is open until 16 September 2026

To take part, visit: www.gmconsult.org/strategy-team/development-the-greater-manchester-good-employment