Version 4 of the TUC’s digital healthcheck has just been launched. It’s a well‑established benchmarking tool that helps unions assess their digital and technical maturity and has since been translated and used by unions internationally. I again led on redeveloping this latest version, which felt long overdue. The previous major update was more than five years ago – and in technology terms, that’s a very long time.

The purpose of revisiting the healthcheck wasn’t to chase trends for their own sake, but to take a hard look at what good practice now looks like for unions navigating a much more complex digital landscape. Some of the foundations have held up well. Others needed reshaping.

One of the most obvious shifts since the last version is the move to cloud based services. For many unions, cloud platforms are now core infrastructure rather than an emerging option. Alongside this has come a sharper focus on security. Cyber attacks against unions have become more frequent and more sophisticated, and digital resilience can no longer be treated as a niche IT concern.
We’re also starting to see the early effects of technologies like artificial intelligence filtering into everyday tools. While much of this is still experimental, unions need space to think strategically about where these technologies might help, where they carry risk, and how they align with union values.

Despite these changes, we’ve been careful to maintain consistency in the structure and levels of the healthcheck. That matters because benchmarking only works if you can track progress over time. Unions that have used earlier versions should still be able to see where they’ve moved forward, and where challenges remain.

For those unfamiliar with it, the digital healthcheck is an interactive Excel based tool covering a broad range of digital and technical areas. Users select the option that best fits their current reality. There are no right or wrong answers, and no expectation that every union should aim for the same destination.

The real value comes from the conversations it prompts. Used well, the healthcheck gives leaders and managers a shared framework for discussing digital priorities, understanding trade offs, and making informed choices based on their union’s resources and strategy.

Digital work is never “done”. Revisiting the benchmark over time helps unions reflect on what has changed, what has worked, and what now deserves attention as organisational priorities shift.
Unions own their results entirely. Those that choose to share them with the TUC help inform how we shape Digital Labs resources and support, but the primary purpose remains a tool for unions, on their own terms. Download the free too now at digital.tuc.org.uk.