Employee forums – what are their benefits and will they be affected by the ERA trade union reforms?

by Shelagh Prosser, Independent Consultant

Employee forums provide a structured mechanism for the employer to engage directly with employee representatives. Forums usually occur in organisations where there is no union presence. However, there are instances where even in highly unionised organisations – for example retail – employee forums exist and are seen as adding value rather than competing with unions.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces major changes for employers, not least in respect of the presence and influence of trade unions. From 30 October 2026, unions will have a statutory right of physical and digital access to workplaces with more than 20 staff, and employers will have a duty to issue workers with a written statement of their right to join a union.

For organisations where unions have not traditionally played a major role, these changes raise important questions about how increased union involvement will interact with existing arrangements for employee engagement and voice, in particular, employee forums.

This article considers the role employee forums play as a vehicle for amplifying employee voice and challenge. While not a substitute for unions, can these non-unionised arrangements sit alongside trade unions, and does such coexistence pose any challenges to employers?

What are employee forums?

Employee forums provide a structured mechanism for the employer to engage directly with employee representatives. Forums usually occur in organisations where there is no union presence. However, there are instances where even in highly unionised organisations – for example retail – employee forums exist and are seen as adding value rather than competing with unions.

Employees opt to join a forum, and while there are usually elections for a defined number of representative places, membership is not contractual.

Typically, management and employee representatives will meet to inform, discuss, consult, share ideas, and collaborate on proposed organisational changes, developments and other strategic issues. The aim is to provide a direct communication channel with senior leadership and promote two-way conversations.

Employee forums can provide an early temperature check on how employees may respond to organisational developments such as restructuring, the introduction of new technology, and wellbeing initiatives, thereby helping organisations plan and tailor communications.

Forums differ from staff networks and employee resource groups (ERGs) in that they represent all employees and provide them with a collective voice. Staff networks and ERGs offer a safe space for employees who share a particular characteristic to come together for peer support and to discuss the specific workplace challenges they face. By focusing on lived experience, these support an organisation’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging. As one interviewee said, “Employee forums and staff networks are complementary but serve different purposes.”

How forums are structured

There is variation in how employee forums are structured and operate, but the general view is that to be effective, they need clear terms of reference.

Participants emphasised that the terms of reference should clearly define the purpose of the employee forum to avoid misunderstandings and manage expectations. They should also set out the forum’s remit to ensure discussions remain focused. Typically, this would include organisational change initiatives, people policies and procedures, health, safety and wellbeing, the workplace environment, employee engagement, and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Matters such as pay and conditions, individual grievances and disciplinary cases would normally fall outside the forum’s remit, particularly where a recognised trade union exists. As changes introduced through the Employment Rights Act 2025 take effect and trade union access expands, it will become increasingly important to clearly distinguish the respective roles of employee forums and trade unions, with explicit boundaries set out in the terms of reference.

An employee forum is usually a consultative rather than a decision-making body and does not have a negotiating remit.

Membership

The terms of reference should cover how membership is decided and the recruitment process for members.

Contributors to this article stressed the importance of getting a broad range of representatives in respect of directorates, functions, length of service and locations where an organisation operates across multiple sites. Individuals need to be able to represent their areas authentically and communicate the local situation. They need to be well-informed and objective. As one interviewee said, “It [the membership] can’t be a few opinionated individuals.”

Ideally, representation should reflect the diversity of the organisation. In one organisation, two representatives from each of the staff diversity networks were members of the forum.

The number of members is usually proportionate to the size of the organisation.

One interviewee said that when determining membership, they had used personality profiling with the aim of achieving a balance of introverts and extroverts.

Another consideration is to ensure a mix of seniority among the members, although it is important that within the forum all representatives are equal. For this reason, having line managers and their direct reports as members should be avoided.

HR’s involvement

The organisations interviewed for this article described different models of HR involvement in employee forums, ranging from chairing to not being formal members but having a standing invitation to attend. All stressed that it was important that HR was not seen as leading the forum.

This underlines that if forums are to be genuinely regarded as a vehicle for hearing employee voice and enabling two-way conversations, then the membership should reflect the whole organisation rather than one function. Regardless of its level of involvement in the forum, HR often provided administrative and secretariat support.

The chair

All of the organisations consulted emphasised that having a credible and effective chair was essential to the success of the forum. As one participant said: “A key thing where I’ve seen them work well is having a chair who can bring people along with them.”  

The chair plays a crucial role in setting the tone, ensuring meetings are constructive and run smoothly. An effective chair also makes sure that all members have their contact details, arranges pre-meetings where appropriate, follows up on agreed actions, and maintains momentum by keeping the dialogue going between formal meetings.

In respect of who serves as chair, this can range from the CEO, a senior executive, an HR person or any other member. An election was considered to be a fairer approach to avoid members being intimidated by hierarchy. Genuine two-way dialogue and collaboration presuppose people feeling free to speak.

In addition to the chair, it is recommended that employee forums have a deputy chair to ensure that meetings are accurately minuted and agreed actions are recorded.

Other areas the terms of reference should cover

The terms of reference should also include the following:

• How members are appointed. A transparent election process is considered best practice. This may be based on nominations.
• Length of tenure for members. Two to three years will support continuity and confidence. Specifying tenure will also help to keep the membership relevant and reflective of the organisation. As an interviewee said: “[It’s about] making sure that it [the forum] doesn’t become stale, stagnant, or indeed part of the fabric of management rather than representing the colleagues as it should.”
• The schedule of meetings so that members can plan ahead. Quarterly meetings are most common, but one organisation consulted had monthly meetings. As someone said, the aim should be “continuity without overkill”.
• The format of meetings. As one person said, “it’s not about lobbying or confrontation…it’s a partnership, an adult-to-adult relationship.”
• What constitutes a quorate meeting.
• Reporting lines. To be effective, employee forum discussions and responses need to go somewhere; for example, this might be to the Chief Executive, the Board Chair or Chief People Officer. In one organisation, the National Chair attends the monthly board meeting to share feedback from their colleagues and has a fortnightly one-to-one with the People Director.
• Protocols in respect of confidentiality and how actions are agreed. The latter will normally be by consensus. It is important to distinguish between what information discussed can be shared with the wider workforce and what cannot.
• A review schedule. Employee forums should be formally reviewed on a regular basis (typically every two to three years) to determine effectiveness. A review should include feedback from the wider workforce. Terms of reference should be updated and membership refreshed to reflect organisational changes and focus.

Who does the agenda?

Agendas tend to be jointly set by management and members.

Although the chair will normally finalise the agenda, member engagement can be helped by allowing any member to propose items.

Circulating papers in advance of meetings enables members to prepare and fully contribute. It is also important to ensure that agreed actions are communicated promptly and that progress is reviewed. This will support accountability and help members provide feedback to their colleagues quickly and accurately, thereby avoiding the perception that the forum is simply a “talking shop”.

Other considerations

Making time for engagement. An effective employee forum needs members who are empowered and supported to do their role. All of the organisations consulted for this article provided protected time for members. Only one offered payment, and this was limited to the national chair, who was full-time, and the deputy chair.

Upskilling members to build their capability and confidence. All of the organisations consulted for this article provided training to strengthen members’ skills across a range of areas including communication, active listening, meeting etiquette, consultation, team dynamics and advocacy. One comment made about this training was that “there’s some quite nice stuff around how not to get overwhelmed at meetings when you’re in with more senior people”. Training should aim to help members participate effectively and contribute meaningfully.

Having a flexible format. Offering meetings in a flexible format, such as hybrid or solely online, can help members participate, regardless of their location or personal circumstances. This approach can improve accessibility and reduce barriers to attendance.

What are the benefits of employee forums?

The benefits of employee forums can be summarised as:

• They can provide an early temperature check on how employees may respond to organisational developments such as restructuring, introduction of new technology and wellbeing initiatives, thereby helping organisations plan and tailor communications.
• They enable open dialogue between leaders and employees. As an interviewee said: “The real power (of employee forums) is hearing a direct voice from your colleagues…they are a constant mirror being held up to the organisation.”
• They offer a way to test internal communications campaigns before launch, allowing messages to be refined for maximum impact.
• They provide a channel for the leadership to talk about long-term strategies, threats and opportunities, and get insights and suggestions from employees on how to address these.

One interviewee commented that the benefits include “getting that raw and unfiltered response”.

What are the challenges?

The organisations consulted for this article identified some common challenges to establishing and maintaining effective employee forums:

• Achieving proportionate representation. Membership should reflect the breadth of the organisation, with representatives drawn from across different teams, functions and levels. This will help ensure that a diverse range of perspectives and experiences are heard when considering organisational changes and initiatives.
• Representing colleagues, not personal interests. Forum members should act as the collective voice of the colleagues they represent, rather than advocating for their own views or interests. As one interviewee commented: “It can be really difficult not to represent yourself…a challenge can be that they [representatives] are almost too local and not necessarily getting the whole picture.” The expectation that members are responsible for actively seeking and communicating the views of their colleagues should be made clear from the start. A transparent election process and a clearly defined mandate will help reinforce this responsibility.
• Securing line managers’ support for participation. Line managers should honour the commitment that employee forum members be given reasonable time during working hours to prepare for and attend meetings. At their induction, they should receive clear guidance on the forum’s purpose, scope, their role and expected time commitment. This should be supported by explicit endorsement from senior leaders that recognises the organisational value of employee forums.
• Getting the communication right. This is crucial to building awareness and support for the forum. Positioning an employee forum as advisory and consultative and not a replacement for management responsibility is important. A range of communication channels should be used to ensure that all employees, regardless of their role, working patterns and location, are conscious of the forum. Forums need to be seen as being core to the organisation rather than a “to the side” activity. This helps to build trust.
• Building a true partnership between employee forums and trade unions. To avoid misunderstandings and potential conflict, the former needs to be seen as complementing rather than duplicating or undermining the latter. Acas recommends explicitly defining this relationship in the forum’s terms of reference, supported by consultation principles that reaffirm the trade union’s role as the recognised bargaining body. As one interviewee said: “There’s no reason why they can’t work together, and on paper both want the same things, which is brilliant environments, brilliant colleagues being heard regularly.”
• Maintaining momentum and confidence. Employees need to see that employee forums lead to visible outcomes. Embedding them within the organisation engagement strategy can reinforce their value. For example, sharing staff and pulse survey findings before wider communication allows forum members to provide insight into likely employee reactions, suggest improvements and help shape actions. Expectations need to be managed, but as one interviewee observed, “There can be frustration if nothing changes despite engagement.”

The future of employee forums

All of the organisations interviewed for this article emphasised that an effective employee forum should never be taken for granted. Its success and impact depend on a supportive organisational culture, capable and committed members, and a strong foundation of mutual trust. Most importantly, employee forums must be recognised as a credible channel for employee voice and a valued mechanism for influencing organisational change.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 strengthens trade union rights rather than replacing other existing forms of employee engagement. Consequently, the changes are unlikely to mean that employee forums can no longer exist alongside trade unions. Instead, they suggest that multiple forms of employee voice can coexist, provided their roles are clearly defined and effectively supported.