Focus On: Fair Work

An adult with light skin and dark grey hair arranges glass bottles on a shelf in a retail setting.

‘Fair Work’ is work that offers all individuals respect, opportunity, fulfilment, security, and an effective voice.

These five areas of Fair Work balance the rights and responsibilities of employers and workers to generate benefits for all.

One of the aims of the strategy is that Scotland’s museums and galleries will be places where Fair Work drives success, wellbeing, and prosperity for individuals, organisations, and society as a whole.

All museums and galleries will be working on the aims and actions of the strategy in a way that reflects their capacity and strengths. Whether you’re already making progress on Fair Work or just getting started, you’ll find plenty of helpful information on this page.

The principles of Fair Work apply to both paid and voluntary roles. Volunteers are an essential part of the workforce: of the 5,728 museum sector workers recorded in our 2022 survey of Scotland’s museums and galleries, 2,958 (51.6%) were volunteers.

Read the full survey results

Two star-shaped military medals rest on a museum entry form. In the background, two older adults with light skin can be seen sorting through a pile of photos and documents.

Introduction to Fair Work

Learn about the five aspects of Fair Work and find out how you can implement them at your organisation in this advice series.

Fair Work in action

At the launch event for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy Mike Benson, Director of the Scottish Crannog Centre, spoke about the value of Fair Work and the positive impact it’s had on their organisation.

Modern Apprenticeships

At MGS, our commitment to Fair Work includes the recruitment of apprentices and the delivery of our Modern Apprentice programmes. You can find out more about apprenticeships – including how to host an apprentice – in our training programmes section.

Fair Work resources for employers

This guide offers a range of useful resources that will help you to better understand Fair Work.

Real Living Wage

Organisations can make progress on Fair Work by paying the Real Living Wage.

Fair Work Convention

Learn about Fair Work practices across Scotland on the Fair Work Convention website.

A young adult with light skin, short red hair, and a stubble leans against the prow of a wooden boat. Displayed on a small flagpole is white flag featuring the words 'Scottish Maritime Museum' and an illustration of a ship.

Get started on the journey towards Fair Work by asking these three questions:

Does your organisation have formal and informal arrangements to allow for dialogue?

This can help to encourage the Effective Voice area of Fair Work. Dialogue can include one-to-ones between workers and management, appraisal and feedback processes, and team meetings.

Do you use buddying and mentoring to support your workforce?

This support contributes towards the Opportunity area of Fair Work.

Is your museum or gallery explicit about respect as an organisational value?

The Respect area of Fair Work can include conversations about how respect is experienced at your organisation.

Our Jobs & Opportunities page only lists museum sector roles from employers which meet inclusive recruitment standards. If you’re an employer who meets these standards, we’ll advertise your roles free of charge.

If you’re looking for advice on inclusive recruitment – including job descriptions and person specifications – please get in touch with our Skills Development team

We’ve updated our grants outcomes and expectations to reflect the strategy’s commitment to Fair Work. When applying for funding, you’ll be required to confirm that:

You pay all direct employees the real Living Wage.
You provide appropriate channels for effective voice.

Visit our funding pages to read our grants outcomes and expectations in full.

Fair Work goes hand-in-hand with other strategy priority areas such as Diversity and Inclusion. Progress in one area can have a positive impact across the rest of strategy.

If you’d like to learn more about Fair Work and how to implement its values at your organisation, please contact our Skills Team.

Advice Article

Introduction to Fair Work for employers

This guide offers a range of useful resources that will help you to better understand Fair Work and implement it at your organisation.

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MGS Fair Work Statement

We are committed to supporting museums and galleries in Scotland to deliver better recruitment and employment practices through resources, training, advice, and the Scottish Government guidance on Fair Work First.