About Social Enterprise Direct
What is Social Enterprise Direct?
Social Enterprise Direct (SED) is a Glasgow-based contact-centre and business-services organisation operating as the trading arm of Scottish charity Advice Direct Scotland (registered charity SC034473). On the company's own words: "Social Enterprise Direct is the trading arm of Advice Direct Scotland, a registered charity and advice hub which delivers support to those in need of it. SED applies successful commercial strategies in order to cultivate positive social change."
Four service lines anchor the business: an omni-channel contact centre, an SQA-accredited Training Academy, Debt Advice for business customers, and Energy Advice on products, contracts and pricing. SED also runs a "Speak Up" service which manages the Freedom to Speak Up scheme for staff who want to raise concerns, and a bespoke service line drawing on its in-house computing and innovation team.
Where will I work?
SED is headquartered at Mercantile Chambers, 39 – 69 Bothwell Street, Glasgow G2 6TS — the same registered office as parent organisation Advice Direct Scotland.
What is the Social Enterprise Direct team like?
SED writes openly about its model: "SED has no shareholders; any and all profits generated across our range of contracts are reinvested into Advice Direct Scotland, thereby directly supporting communities and individuals in need." On the people side: "As a part of our moral and social commitment, SED carries out work which allows us to create jobs and training opportunities for individuals obstructed from accessing meaningful employment. We have also amassed a body of staff who have comprehensive experience and strengths in serving vulnerable customers."
The company describes its staff as "multi-cultural, highly skilled, and deeply knowledgeable about the range of services that we provide. Our business model fosters an environment in which our employees enjoy and take pride in their work."
Work-Life Balance
The organisation states: "All of our staff operate within a 4-day working week. The enactment of this policy has resulted in significant improvements across all areas of our business, including an overall marked increase in productivity." Parent organisation Advice Direct Scotland — which pioneered the policy across the group in 2018 — publishes the longitudinal results: "employee absence was greatly reduced, decreasing by 71% between 2017 and 2019, and the employee average number of absent days was reduced by 55%. In addition, the rate of employees leaving the company dropped by a third during this time."
Perks and Benefits
Fair Work, Fair Pay employer; Living Wage Accredited. In-house SQA Training Academy with the resources, on the group's words, "to provide an extensive range of flexible training solutions for both individuals and organisations". Beyond the four-day week, SED does not publish a detailed benefits inventory — applicants are invited to contact [email protected] to discuss roles directly.