Merge pull request #1187 from dxw/cms/who-we-are/index

Update Who we are page “index”

src/who-we-are/index.md

@@ -203,50 +203,75 @@ Our approach is set out in our
 
 Thank you for being you - it makes us better.
 
-## Our governance
+## Employee ownership and how dxw is run
 
-### Why employee ownership?
+dxw is employee owned. 
 
-Working for a company that’s an Employee Owned Trust (EOT) means you get to work somewhere which has its mission and values, not just on a website, but written into its founding documents.
+Being employee owned means we can retain our independence and, with that, the ability to choose the work we do and how we run the company. The keys to protecting our mission and values.
 
-As an EOT company, we have a Trustee Board that speaks for the staff as owners. It’s responsible for making sure the Company Board is working effectively. As well as ensuring we all stay true to the mission and values.
+Working for a company that’s an Employee Owned Trust (EOT) means you get to work somewhere which has its [mission](https://playbook.dxw.com/who-we-are/#our-mission) and [values](https://playbook.dxw.com/who-we-are/#our-values), not just on a website, but written into its founding documents.
 
-We believe it would be much harder for us to deliver our mission with an ownership structure that prioritises profits for people who play no active part in the business and carries the pressures that come from being judged by the stock markets. 
+We believe it would be much harder for us to deliver our mission to improve public services, with an ownership structure that prioritises profits for people who play no active part in the business and carries the pressures that come from being judged by the stock markets. 
 
-Employee ownership is different from other ownership models like a co-operative, for example. Employee owned does not mean employee managed. dxw is led and managed by our Company Board and Senior Leadership Team which include the CEO and the rest of the Executive Directors. 
+### How dxw is run
 
-The Trustee Board provides the checks and balances needed to ensure the company is being run sustainably and in line with the mission and values.
+dxw is led by the Company Board.
 
-### The Trustee Board
+The Trustee Board is responsible for making sure the Company Board is working effectively and running dxw sustainably in line with our mission and values. In doing so, the Trustees look after the staff’s interests as owners of the company.
 
-The Trustee Board meets quarterly and its consent is needed for major decisions relating to the company. It signs off the company business plan each year. 
+The Staff Council represents the views of staff as employees of the company, and has an advisory role to both the Company Board and Trustee Board.
 
-The Trustee Board is the board of a company called the “Public Service Trust Ltd”, which was set up when dxw became employee owned to hold the employee shares. The Trust owns the majority stake in dxw on behalf of staff.  
+#### The Company Board
 
-There are five trustee positions: two trustees elected by staff, two independent trustees (one position is vacant at the moment) and the founder. Having the staff trustees means that a staff perspective is always present in the biggest decisions we make.
+The Company Board looks at the future direction for the company. It meets quarterly and discusses longer term strategic issues and decisions on things like:
 
-The Trustees look after the interests of staff as owners. That means they take into account the full picture of the organisation. Sometimes there’s a difference between the short and long term interests of a business, or the interests of staff as employees and the same people as owners. 
+* company-wide goals and business plans 
+* how to run the company effectively to deliver them
+* protecting the company from external and internal risk
 
-The Trustees will tend to take pragmatic decisions to ensure the company is successful over the long term. They commit to making decisions that reflect dxw’s mission and values. Staff can influence the big decisions of the organisation through the staff trustees and by electing people whose judgement they trust.
+It is made up of Executive Directors, who lead and manage dxw teams in addition to their board role, and one [Non-Executive Director](https://www.iod.com/resources/factsheets/company-structure/what-is-the-role-of-the-non-executive-director/), who brings an independent voice to the Company Board. The Non-Executive Director Chairs the Company Board.
 
-### The Company Board
+The Executive Directors and Non-Executive Director are [registered at Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06617101/officers) and are personally and legally responsible for most of what is done in the company’s name.  
 
-dxw is led by the Company Board. The Executive Directors and the Non-Executive Director of dxw are registered at Companies House and are personally and legally responsible for most of what is done in the company’s name.  
+#### Senior Leadership Team
 
-The Company Board meets quarterly and is chaired by our Non-Executive Director. Meetings are forward looking and consider some issues which will eventually be taken to the Trustee Board. The Company Board looks at the future direction for the company including business plans, how to run the company effectively to deliver them, and protecting the company from external and internal risk. 
+Executive Directors also have day to day responsibilities for the organisation and meet regularly as a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) led by the CEO, to take tactical decisions about the operation of the company. The areas that the SLT focuses on include, for example, the position on current contracts, the work pipeline and staff engagement.
 
-Members of the Company Board also have day to day responsibilities for the organisation and meet regularly as a Senior Leadership Team led by the CEO, to take tactical decisions about the operation of the company. Many operational decisions are delegated to other individuals or groups, for example which work we bid for, who will work on which project, or who we hire. 
+Many operational decisions are delegated to others by the SLT, for example which work we bid for, who will work on which project, or who we hire. 
 
-dxw also has staff groups who are supported and empowered by the Company Board to lead on specific issues like diversity, equity and inclusion and our impact on the planet.
+#### The Trustee Board
+
+The Trustee Board makes sure the Company Board is running dxw for the benefit of staff as owners of the company, both now and in future. 
+
+The Trustees take pragmatic decisions to ensure the company is successful over the long term. This can sometimes mean taking a different position from what staff may want as employees.
+
+It makes sure the company is acting in line with our mission and values. This includes ensuring that the people who use the services we build are being considered and represented in the decisions made by dxw.
+
+The Trustee Board is the board of '[Public Service Trust Ltd](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13637013)', a trust that was set up to hold employee shares in the company. The Trust owns the majority shareholder stake in dxw on behalf of staff.  
+
+The Trustee Board meets quarterly and its consent is needed for major decisions relating to the company. For example, it signs off the business plan prepared by the Company Board each year and it can appoint or remove directors.
+
+There are 5 trustee positions: 2 employee trustees elected by staff, 2 independent trustees and dxw’s founder. Having the employee trustees means that a staff perspective is always present in the biggest decisions we make.
 
 ### The Staff Council
 
-dxw aims to have an open and collaborative culture and all staff are encouraged to get involved in company-wide work, and to talk to their line managers, heads or directors about their ideas and issues in relation to the company. 
+Our Staff Council is currently made up of 12 staff members. It represents the views of staff as employees, and gives them a voice that must be heard by the Company Board. Its main responsibilities are to:
+
+- make sure the Company Board and Trustee Board have an understanding of the issues that matter to staff as employees
+- raise any issues and concerns with the Company Board
+- support dxw to develop plans, policies and ways of working
+- determine the process for appointing future employee trustees to sit on the Trustee Board
+
+The Staff Council’s role is advisory and it meets with the Company Board regularly. The Staff Council can make recommendations to the Company Board which they must consider and respond to, but it doesn’t have any decision-making powers.
+
+The Staff Council is involved in the annual business planning process and provides input when our Head of People develops new HR policies or approaches. It also advises on issues like how to keep improving our internal communications and understanding staff engagement. 
+
+In most cases, the Staff Council will be able to provide a perspective based on their day to day interactions with staff, and their trusted knowledge and insight. Though they may sometimes decide they need to consult with colleagues more widely. For example, asking employees for feedback on the draft business plan.
 
-To provide a more structured way to understand the voice of staff as employees, we established a Staff Council with members elected by staff.  The Staff Council doesn’t have any decision making responsibilities or powers but has an important advisory role and can make recommendations to the Company Board.
+## How dxw staff are involved in decision making
 
-The Company Board has made a commitment to engage regularly with the Staff Council so they have a better understanding of the priorities and sentiment of staff as employees across the company when making recommendations and decisions. 
+dxw aims to have an open and collaborative culture and all staff are encouraged to get involved in company-wide work. They can talk to their line managers, Heads of or Directors about any questions, issues or ideas. Staff can also speak informally with anyone on the Staff Council or Trustee Board. Most of the time, their first point of contact is likely to be their line manager.
 
-The Staff Council will be involved in the annual business planning process, and will have an advisory role for our Head of People when new HR policies or approaches are developed. We also expect the Staff Council to advise on issues like how to keep improving our internal communications and understanding staff engagement. They have a direct route to the Company Directors and the Non-Executive Company Board Chair to raise issues of concern.
+dxw has staff groups who lead on specific issues like inclusion, diversity and equity and our impact on the planet. These groups are supported by the Company Board and can bring their ideas and proposals to them for consideration.
 
-In most cases the Staff Council will be able to provide a perspective based on their day to day interactions with staff, and their trusted knowledge and insight. Though they may sometimes decide they need to consult with colleagues more widely.
+There are regular opportunities for staff to stand for election, and vote for, Staff Council and Trustee Board members to represent them.