Making Fair Work Work for our City: Stories from Edinburgh Employers

Location: The Melting Pot, Edinburgh

Event Date: 7 October 2026

This is a free event

Join Flexible Working Scotland and The Melting Pot, in collaboration with the Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group, for a free panel session marking Fair Work Day during Challenge Poverty Week.

Hear real, practical stories about what fair, flexible work looks like day to day, from employers putting it into practice and people experiencing it firsthand.

Whether you’re an employer looking to learn from good practice, or a jobseeker who wants to know that good, flexible employers genuinely exist, this session is for you.

Come along to hear why fair, flexible work is good for individuals, good for business and good for the economy.

Schedule

• 1:30–2:00pm — Arrival and networking
• 2:00–3:15pm — Fair Work Spotlight Panel
• 3:15–3:30pm — Networking and close

Come for the whole day

The panel follows The Melting Pot and Flexible Working Scotland’s regular Flexible Working Wednesday co-working session, running from 8:30am–12:30pm, followed by The Melting Pot members’ lunch from 12:30–1:30pm.

You’re welcome to join us for the co-working session and lunch before the panel, or simply come along for the Fair Work Spotlight Panel from 1:30pm.

Flexible Working Wednesday: 8:30am–12:30pm
Members’ lunch: 12:30–1:30pm
Fair Work Spotlight Panel: 1:30–3:30pm

Tickets

Free to attend, but booking is required via Humanitix.

The Melting Pot will provide the venue and refreshments, including tea, coffee and water.

About Flexible Working Scotland

Flexible Working Scotland helps organisations and individuals make flexible working work.

Founded by Lynn Houmdi, Scotland’s Flex Influencer, in 2021, Flexible Working Scotland was created from the belief that fair, flexible work should be the norm, not a privilege.

Five years on, it is Scotland’s largest flexible working community, with over 24,000 people on Facebook advocating for work that works for individuals, families, businesses and the economy.

Flexible Working Scotland connects diverse, flexible talent with forward-thinking employers, helping individuals find meaning in their work and design a work-life blend that works for them, their families and their lifestyles, driving wellbeing and productivity. It also enables employers to offer work that works.

About the Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group

The Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group is a collaboration of employers, public sector bodies, trade unions, social enterprises and business organisations, all committed to the promotion of Fair Work.

The group originally formed as the Edinburgh Living Wage City Action Group in 2021, in response to the Edinburgh Poverty Commission’s work. This highlighted the need for urgent action to reduce the number of residents experiencing in-work poverty in the city.

In 2024, the Action Group widened its remit to cover all aspects of Fair Work, becoming the Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group. This reflected the recognition that reducing in-work poverty requires changes across a wide range of areas, including wages, security of hours, flexibility of working arrangements and progression opportunities.

The Edinburgh Fair Work Action Group aims to:

• Support more Edinburgh employers to understand and adopt Fair Work practices.
• Reduce the number of Edinburgh workers earning below the Real Living Wage and increase the number who experience Fair Work.
• Make a critical contribution to the city’s goal to End Poverty by 2030.
• Increase the number of employers in the city with Fair Work accreditations, including Living Wage, Living Hours, Living Pensions and B Corp.

The Action Group does this by taking coordinated action to reach these targets, including:

• Learning about the Fair Work landscape in Edinburgh.
• Promoting and encouraging Fair Work practices within Edinburgh employers.
• Celebrating employers who have committed to the Fair Work movement, including through accreditations such as the Living Wage and B Corp.
• Responding to national consultations and calls for views to raise the profile of Fair Work

Registration Details:

https://events.humanitix.com/making-fair-work-for-our-city/tickets