Social Value Policy

Overview

Our Social Value Policy outlines our commitment to creating social value and driving positive change through our actions and operations. We aim to create a positive social impact and positively contribute to the well-being of the communities we serve. We believe that through overall responsible business practices, we can build a sustainable and inclusive future for all.

Business Practices

  • We are an accredited Real Living Wage Employer.
  • We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that diversity contributes to innovation and creativity, and we actively promote equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of race, gender, age, religion, disability, or any other characteristic.
  • We champion fair employment practice, ensuring that each stage of the colleague lifecycle promotion are transparent, unbiased, and free from discrimination.

Employment & Skills

  • We provide employment opportunities across the communities in which we operate and, as part of our commitment to Flexible Working, broader opportunities across the UK.
  • We support the development of our existing talent, by providing opportunities for structured professional development.
  • We collaborate with training providers, providing Modern Apprentice opportunities to support young people gain valuable experience within a commercial work environment.
  • We collaborate with academic institutions in our local community, provide structured work experience programmes aligned to their learning programmes.
  • Where possible, we provide Graduate opportunities within identified job functions.

Governance Standards and Reporting

  • We are accredited to the following governance standards: –
    • ISO 27001 Certification in Information Security Management.
    • ISO 9001 Quality Management.
  • We are committed to continuously improving our process standards and efficiencies in-accordance with industry standards.
  • We are committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of user data and are compliant with all GDPR regulations. Our data practices adhere to legal and ethical standards, and we are transparent about how user data is collected, used, and protected.

Environment

  • We are actively working towards the completion of Carbon Neutral plan as part of our wider Environmental Policy.
  • We have, and remain committed to, an ongoing assessment and associated action plan for the reduction of our current omissions.
  • We have, through a combination of engaging technology and evolving our flexible working plan, significantly reduced our overall travel the positive impact that has had on reduced CO2 omissions.
  • We operate with both a Cycle-to-Work Scheme and Electric Car Scheme to support our colleague’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

Giving Back

We recognise the importance of being a responsible corporate citizen. As part of our holistic BiP ONE programme, deliver against the objectives of our Giving Back work stream, which includes: –

  • We actively engage with and support local communities through partnerships, philanthropy, and volunteering initiatives.
  • We offer colleagues paid Community Days to allow them support charities close to them; whether that be through fundraising or volunteering activities.

Transparency and Accountability

We are committed to transparently communicating our social value efforts and progress. We, through the responsibility of our senior leadership, will be accountable for our actions and will continuously look for ways to improve our social impact.

We are committed to providing updates and reporting on overall performance against delivering against our objectives, as part of our BiP ONE communication channels.

Our Social Value Policy, and our commitment to it, is reviewed on an ongoing basis.