We are very happy and proud to say that we have committed to the Good Business Charter (GBC) again for another year. The GBC recognise, champion and encourage responsible business behaviour for the benefit of people and planet. It is an accreditation which organisations of all sizes in the UK can apply for in recognition of responsible business practices.
Accredited organisations include FTSE100 companies, partnerships, local authorities, universities, SMEs, charities and sole traders. As a business, we met all 10 components in order to receive our accreditation which cover employee conditions, tax, the environment and the treatment of suppliers and customers.
Living Wage
We are a Living Wage employer which the GBC requires all employers to pay directly employed staff and regularly contracted staff as set out by the Living Wage Foundation.
Ethical Contracts
We adhere to the use of ethical contracts with fairer hours as required by the GBC. The GBC requires a fair approach to zero hours contracts, including fair shift scheduling and cancellation policy, plus proper consideration given to contracts with guaranteed hours.
Wellbeing
Our award-winning wellbeing packages began with an internal roll out. Our team enjoyed blocks of weekly wellbeing sessions that included a plethora of subjects. Some were presentation style, sometimes with guest speakers, we provided live, active sessions, demonstrating juicing or sampling teas, there was even a Tirapy therapy session. Once we saw the success of these sessions within our own business, with our great team members and also won an award, we decided to collate all we had learnt and develop wellbeing packages for other businesses. The GBC requires clear, fair and transparent policies that support and encourage employee well-being and ban unreasonable penalties for legitimate sickness. We take this very seriously and have a robust HR department that supports our team.
Employee Representation
The GBC requires all employers to engage with worker representatives and to ensure there is a voice that represents employees around the boardroom table.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The GBC requires organisations to evidence how they analyse and monitor their EDI data against a baseline, using it to address disadvantage and discrimination.
Environmental Responsibility
We are committed to our environmental policy, we run a paperless office, we source as much locally as we possibly can, using local businesses. For the last few years we have donated our Christmas cards and presents budget to the Centrepoint Christmas Appeals, to reduce our carbon footprint and to reduce the excessive purchasing of potentially unwanted and wasteful gifts. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance.
Pay Fair Tax
The GBC requires businesses to commit to paying their taxes, not engage in tax avoidance and commit to be transparent in their relationship with HMRC.
Commitment to Customers
The GBC requires businesses to publish their commitment to their customers on their website. Businesses will be expected to gather and monitor customer feedback and report the results to their board.
Ethical Sourcing
The GBC requires businesses to commit to the standards set out in the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code for sourcing through a process of continuous due diligence.
Prompt Payment to Suppliers
The GBC requires businesses to sign the government’s Prompt Payment Code.
As we are committed to all 10 of these very important components, we feel our confident and excited for a successful year ahead.
#GoodEmployerCharter #ResponsibleBusiness #EthicalBusiness