Artistic Workplaces – a brand new nationwide initiative championing honest, protected and respectful workplaces within the inventive industries – has launched a brand new web site. The positioning is a useful resource hub on pay, working circumstances and office security for people and organisations.
Simple navigation and plain language are on the coronary heart of the design of the Artistic Workplaces web site, alongside examples set within the arts for instance rules in observe.
“The Artistic Workplaces web site is exclusive as a result of it’s written for individuals who transition between totally different work preparations repeatedly,” says Kate Schaffner, Director, Artistic Workplaces.
Whereas not initially from an arts background, Schaffner sees many parallels between her expertise on the Honest Work Fee and the way she may help construct Artistic Workplaces.
“Having labored in an employment tribunal with folks from all types of industries I got here to this function with a deep understanding of the challenges folks expertise in understanding authorized data and processes,” she says.
“Loads of creatives may match as an worker sooner or later, an impartial artist one other and will even run a enterprise and volunteer at totally different instances. Which means the rights, duties and protections they want to concentrate on might differ of their totally different roles, and might make discovering the correct assist and assist notably troublesome.
“Folks usually hunt down authorized data in instances of want, and I’m personally motivated to make this as straightforward as potential, and to have a constructive influence on working relationships and office tradition inside the arts,” she explains.
Schaffner says working with the Artistic Workplaces Council, chaired by Kate Jenkins AO, and comprising trade professionals, Artistic Workplaces has consulted extensively all through 2024 and 2025 to gauge the frequent office points skilled within the sector. “Among the questions we get requested lots are about issues like psychosocial security, pay circumstances, volunteering preparations, superannuation or when ought to an artist be thought of as an impartial contractor or an worker.”
The web site is designed with easy navigation and has sections on: contracts and fee, office points, making protected workplaces, First Nations relations, accessible workplaces, and youngsters and younger folks.
Artistic Workplaces has a nationwide remit and is collaborating with states and territory governments on the work. “It’s actually essential when implementing a nationwide technique that you just perceive the priorities for folks somewhere else, working in several artwork kinds, and from totally different communities of observe,” says Schaffner.
Sector suggestions is warmly welcomed. “Artistic Workplaces is new, so we ask the sector to please inform us what they want,” she provides. “Crucial factor for us is to make sure this web site meets the sector’s wants.”
For individuals who may have instant assist, Artistic Workplaces has partnered with Help Act to supply its psychological well being and wellbeing helpline to everybody within the inventive industries.
The launch of the web site is only the start. Extra data and assets will likely be added to the web site within the coming months as Artistic Workplaces progresses its work.
Take a look at the Creative Workplaces website and subscribe to updates to obtain the latest data.
