Finding a Voice, Taking Action:

Benefits of the action learning set approach • What the participating employers felt they lacked is access to support to enable them to do this effectively. Where support is provided, as in the case of ALS, many employers will willingly and fully engage in work to improve the employee experience. • For participating employers, the ALS has created a new network of support, facilitated peer support and challenge, enabled access to new ideas and resources, supported professional development and brought about a sense of being “heard” as sector representatives. • With employers lacking both time and connections with others in their sector (both of which negatively impacted their ability to consider how to tackle long standing issues or plan for more strategic change), the ALS experience provided protected, invaluable time and space to think on top of reduced feelings of isolation. • Together with the increased sense of voice and influence employers felt they had as a result of participating in the overall STF project, these factors led to an increased motivation to make change and a greater sense of empowerment and agency. • Overall, despite the excessive “business as usual” demands on their time, employers have judged participation in the ALS to be an overwhelmingly worthwhile investment of their time. • For the STF project team using the ALS approach has enabled the development of new relationships with employers and connections that are closer and deeper than perhaps initially anticipated. • The high levels of trust and respect built between employers and the project team, through the ALS process, has created a new network of employer contacts ready and willing to support further work. • While fundamental changes may not yet have been made in any of the participating businesses, clear foundations have been laid. The motivation to continue to develop sustainable businesses that provide positive employment experiences and reduce low pay and in-work poverty remains high.