At the core of our not-for-profit organisation lies a deep commitment to social value. We’re dedicated to creating meaningful, positive change in our local communities.
By prioritising social value in all our decisions and initiatives, we aim to foster a widespread culture of responsibility and community engagement.
Our Culture & Values
Our values guide how we work and support our shared goal of delivering high-quality procurement services to our members.
We foster a positive, inclusive working environment where colleagues are supported both professionally and personally. To protect and strengthen our culture, we have implemented a Behavioural Framework that applies to all employees, with additional clearly defined expectations for managers. The framework is supported by staff training and promotes respectful, collaborative working and people-focused leadership across the organisation.
Flexible & Supportive Working
Employee wellbeing is a priority at EEM.
We support work-life balance through a Flexi-Time Policy, offering flexibility around start and finish times, alongside a Hybrid Working Policy that allows staff to work from home for part of the week where roles and operational requirements allow.
These arrangements help create a healthy, productive, and engaged workforce.
Learning, Training & Development
We actively invest in the continuous development of our employees.
All staff complete mandatory online training throughout the year, covering a range of topics including health and safety, fire safety, and other compliance-related areas. This ensures knowledge remains current and consistent across the organisation.
Each employee also has access to a dedicated training budget to support professional development, role-specific learning, and external qualifications. Employees are encouraged to stay informed on best practice and emerging trends within their role and the wider industry.
We value experience, qualifications, and technical knowledge across the business.
Our Procurement Team have all completed, or are currently working towards, CIPS qualifications, ensuring a consistently high standard of procurement expertise and compliance. This depth of knowledge supports robust procurement outcomes for our members.
As members of the East Midlands Chamber, our employees also benefit from a wide range of their training courses and networking opportunities, many of which are free.
Apprenticeships & Upskilling
Apprenticeships play an important role in developing talent and supporting career progression at EEM.
We support both entry-level apprenticeships and upskilling apprenticeships for existing employees, enabling individuals to gain recognised qualifications while developing their skills within their current roles. All apprenticeships completed at EEM to date have resulted in individuals being offered and accepting full-time, permanent employment, reflecting our commitment to long-term workforce development.
Internal Expertise & Knowledge Sharing
We maximise the value of internal expertise by delivering some training in-house.
Subject matter experts within EEM regularly deliver internal training sessions to colleagues, supporting knowledge sharing and continuous improvement. For example, our Head of Procurement delivers procurement training sessions for employees across the organisation, strengthening understanding of best-practice procurement principles.
Onboarding & Induction
All new starters at EEM spend time with every team across the business to understand their roles, how each team contributes to our work, and how we collaborate to deliver value for our members. This approach helps new employees integrate quickly, build relationships, and gain a broad understanding of the organisation.
Community Involvement
As a not-for-profit organisation, social value is central to our work.
All employees are entitled to one paid volunteer day per year, providing opportunities to support charitable causes and community initiatives aligned with EEM’s values.
Each EEM employee is allocated £500 per year to donate to a community group or charity of their choice. These donations have supported local sports teams, hospices, churches, and a wide range of community and charitable causes.
Beyond this, there are opportunities all year round to visit the beneficiaries of EEM’s Community Donations, get involved in initiatives such as our Christmas foodbank collection, and take part in other fundraising events and staff-led activities.
Working at EEM
Visit our Careers page, where employees share testimonials about why they enjoy working at EEM, and any available vacancies are listed.