The Unity Forum: Inside Our New Employee Led-Initiative

Introducing our new company-wide initiative designed to create a culture of positivity, inclusivity, and meaningful change.
Unity Forum

This summer, we launched The Unity Forum, our new company-wide initiative designed to create open communication, inclusivity, and a culture of positivity. The forum was created with the goal of ensuring that every voice is heard and every team member feels empowered to shape our shared experience.

What is The Unity Forum?

The forum brings together volunteers from different departments, known as Unity Champions, who serve as representatives from their teams and act as liaisons between employees and leadership. Their role is to actively listen, gather feedback, and bring forward ideas, concerns, and suggestions from their colleagues.

The forum meets every two months in a confidential setting, providing a safe space for honest, constructive discussion. Unity Champions take ownership of these conversations, exploring key issues and shaping employee-led proposals for change. These proposals are then shared with senior leadership, who work in partnership with the forum to turn ideas into action.

Through this process, our leadership team stays closely informed about what matters most to employees. The result is a stronger sense of unity, improved workplace culture, and a boost in both morale and innovation.

Meet a few of our Unity Champions...

On the left-hand side of the graphic are the words 'Unity champion. Katrina Peco. Recruitment Assistant. Length of service: 1 year. "I joined the Unity Forum to show that by working together we can achieve so much more.  We all have something to bring and input and the Unity Forum will help us to get this message across and get everyone working together collaboratively. " On the right hand side of the graphic is a greyscale headshot of Katrina on a purple background. She has long dark hair, is smiling at the camera and wearing a black and white striped top.
On the left-hand side of the graphic are the words 'Unity champion. Pavan Bhardwaj. Business Administrator. Length of Service: 2 years. “I believe that the Unity Forum will give more people a chance to get to know what happens in other companies within eQS and to see how our work connects both internally and externally. The Forum should also provide a space for people to suggest ideas for development and changes they want to see in the company, giving everyone an opportunity to get their voices heard.” On the right hand side of the graphic is a greyscale headshot of Pavan on a purple background. He has curly hair, short facial hair, and is smiling at the camera. He is wearing a beanie, glasses, and a dark t-shirt.
On the left-hand side of the graphic are the words 'Unity champion. Nathan Jones. Software Installation Engineer / IT Technician. Length of Service: 1 year. “I wanted to see what changes we could make to help staff work life easier. I also wanted the chance to see if I can offer my ideas and knowledge to help people within the company develop their skills and understanding of topics which some people might get confused over or not fully understand.” On the right hand side of the graphic is a greyscale headshot of Nathan on a purple background. He has long hair and is smiling at the camera. He wears a collared shirt and glasses.
On the left-hand side of the graphic are the words 'Unity champion. Sean Campbell. Graphic Design Team Leader. Length of Service: 3 years. “I volunteered to become a Unity Champion because I want to help promote more collaboration across the Group and help towards working on new initiatives that enhance team morale and Group culture.” On the right hand side of the graphic is a greyscale headshot of Sean on a purple background. He has short hair, short facial hair, is smiling at the camera and wearing a dark t-shirt.

The Forum's Impact

Despite being in its early stages, the Unity Forum is already making a difference. Examples of positive action that’s taken place following the launch of the forum include:

  • Making the annual staff survey more anonymous by encouraging leadership to remove any questions that could provide traceable information.

  • Nominating a Unity Champion to regularly highlight employee benefits, such as our Westfield Rewards and Health Schemes, to ensure that our people are aware of and getting the value out of these benefits.

  • Developing training for Unity Champions, providing them with the skills that they need to be effective advocates for their teams. This training focuses on communication, active listening, and presentation skills.
A headshot of Rachel Chalk. She has long blond hair and is wearing a dark green jumper. She is smiling whilst looking at the camera.

This blog was written by Rachel Chalk, eQS Disability Support Brand Ambassador.

As Brand Ambassador for our disability support brands, Rachel is responsible for delivering brand awareness programs for the eQS Group of companies.

Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn.

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