Our vision
NAHT is a trade union run by its members and for its members, embodying the democratic principles and responsible practice the union advocates for in the education sector and civil society. We believe that the way we conduct our business and operations must reflect the same values that we champion for our members.
Through the introduction of a social responsibility statement, we hope to outline the ways in which our member’s values manifest in our actions as an organisation.
Oversight of NAHT’s social responsibility sits within our governance architecture. Through our national executive and the established accountability mechanisms within NAHT’s national democracy this statement will be regularly reviewed and developed to ensure alignment with our members values and ambitions. NAHT aims to be a leader in our conduct as a trade union, as an employer and in the offering we provide to our members – we regularly review this statement and welcome any feedback from our membership on how we can improve.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are strongest when we unite in support of one another, recognising that diversity enriches our movement and strengthens our collective voice. Our core value of justice drives us to challenge systemic inequalities and remove barriers that prevent people from accessing opportunities and fair treatment. Fostering an inclusive culture helps us to benefit from a wider range of perspectives, experiences and skills. We believe this creates a more welcoming and productive environment for us all.
As part of NAHT’s national democracy and governance structures we maintain an equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) committee that ensures member oversight on our equalities work for school leaders, for workers, and within our union. NAHT operates within an EDI strategy that seeks to ensure that our policies, operations, and communications are inclusive. NAHT regularly monitors diversity data for its membership, provides training to ensure an inclusive culture for members and staff, and actively engages with underrepresented groups through its informal equalities networks. As an employer we take time to ensure that NAHT is an inclusive place to work and take steps to increase participation from underrepresented groups at all levels.
Our ambition is to extend our diversity monitoring including pay gaps within our staff body to address through an evidence-based plan disadvantage, discrimination and improve workforce wellbeing and performance.
Environmental responsibility
Through our respect for the earth and for each other, we appreciate the intrinsic value of the natural world and our responsibility to preserve it. We acknowledge stewardship of the planet as an important element of social responsibility and NAHT is committed to conducting its business in an environmentally responsible manner. Protecting the environment is an act of care for each other and for the generations to come.
NAHT recognises the importance of environmental responsibility and sustainability within our operations and currently maintains a minimal environmental impact. We recognise as a national trade union our emissions are largely through travel and seek to promote sustainable and low-impact travel where possible. As a union we recognise the climate emergency and the urgency of a just transition and through our work with members in schools seek to support the wider and global efforts to combat climate change.
We aspire to further embed environmental sustainability within our operations and minimise travel and carbon emissions through a guide to environmental good practice and setting target dates to achieve a net zero. We are seeking to benchmark and measure the impact of travel and explore options for reduction such as a salary-sacrifice EV scheme for staff. As part of our review into procurement we will also seek to embed carbon impact into our due diligence with partners and suppliers.
Dignity in work
Dignity in work means ensuring that our people are valued, heard and respected in every aspect of working life. We recognise that work is not just a means of survival, but a source of identity, pride and purpose. Dignity in work is not a luxury, it is a right: it is the foundation of a fair society and a just economy. The embodiment of compassion and solidarity is a culture where all employees feel confident about the authentic care for their dignity and wellbeing.
As both a union and employer we are committed to a preventative culture that ensures dignity at work. NAHT currently maintains comprehensive policies to protect both members and staff, including a rigorous code of conduct, bullying and harassment procedures, and regular wellbeing surveys. We also provide access to an employee assistance programme offering confidential counselling services and have implemented an agile working culture to support work-life balance and well-being. NAHT operates under clear, fair and transparent policies that support and encourage employee well-being including a sickness policy which clearly outlines both employee and employer responsibilities and bans unreasonable penalties for legitimate sickness.
We’re committed to promoting an inclusive and supportive culture that celebrates diversity and attracts, retains and develops our people, and constantly strive to go further in how this is achieved.
Workplace democracy
Democracy is not just a political ideal – it is at the heart of everything that we as a trade union stand for. In the workplace, it means that people have the right to be heard, to organise, to bargain collectively, and to influence the policies and practices that govern their employment. As an inclusive employer, we ensure that every worker – regardless of role, background, or status – has a voice in decisions that affect their work and well-being.
NAHT currently recognises two staff unions and commits to regular engagement, ensuring employees have formal industrial representation and support in workplace matters. We are committed to supporting employee voice beyond industrial matters and maintain regular staff forums and open communication within our culture to ensure staff can engage with our workplace strategy. We are committed to biennial anonymous surveys of staff to explore employee satisfaction and that our organisational culture is working for NAHT staff. Further we have a mechanism for whistleblowing in the form of a policy that provides all employees with an opportunity to report to internal or external sources, anonymously if they prefer, matters of concern about a danger, risk, malpractice or wrongdoing that affects others, and ensure they are protected from reprisals.
We aim to continue to engage with staff to ensure that NAHT maintains a culture of workplace democracy and accesses staff voices throughout the organisation. National executive operates a finance and people committee that oversees on behalf of members the delivery of our commitment to be an exemplary employer.
Equitable compensation
Equitable compensation is a matter of justice and respect. Equitable compensation enables us to reflect the kind of society we want to build: one where work is valued, fairness is standard and no one is left behind. As an inclusive employer, we are committed to fair and equal pay for all workers, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, disability, age, religion, background or role. We are committed to having a competitive and leading reward policy designed to attract and retain high calibre and experienced staff.
We are proud to employ all staff above the real living wage, ensuring staff receive compensation that reflects the actual cost of living. Further, our staffing model operates with no staff under zero-hour contracts. Our policies provide fair and consistent terms of employment, reasonable working hours, transparent pay structures and comprehensive benefits packages that support physical, mental and financial well-being.
We will maintain our commitment to equitable compensation for all staff and through our plan to introduce pay gap reporting will be able to identify specific areas for consideration by our senior leadership team.
Ethical business engagement
Ethical business engagement is essential to ensuring that workers are treated fairly, communities are respected and the economy serves the common good. We recognise our responsibility to uphold the highest standards of ethics and integrity. Our core value of solidarity calls us to support businesses that respect collective bargaining, uphold workers’ rights and engage in fair and transparent negotiations with unions. We expect businesses to act with honesty, transparency and accountability in all dealings and, in turn, we commit to these behaviours in our dealings with them, fostering trust and fairness in service of our members and the communities we represent.
Ethical sourcing, ensuring prompt payment to our suppliers and providing an excellent membership proposition are core to NAHT’s approach to ethical business engagement. As part of our financial regulations, we ensure that wherever possible the venues we book are socially responsible and embedded within their local communities, and we seek to ensure that expenditure by the union ensures both member value and social responsibility. We ensure that there is rigorous due diligence within our supply chains and seek out partners that reflect our values. As part of our commitment to ethical business engagement suppliers are promptly paid according to their credit terms, generally within 30 days or less. We further recognise the importance in having a consistent and effective membership offering and through the membership services committee within our national democracy and governance structures there is a direct role for members in overseeing that commitment.
Our ambition is to always maintain and review our ethical business practices in engaging with suppliers, partners and members. We will continue to develop our standards around ethical sourcing as part of our review into the union’s procurement process.