Other policies

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Policy Statement

The Carling Partnership is committed to operating its business in an environmentally sensitive way with proper regard to its legal obligations and according to relevant directives, regulations and codes of practice including but not limited to:

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999.
Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991.
Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006.

Commitment to Prevention of Pollution & Environmentally Sound Practices
The Carling Partnership recognises that its operations have an effect on the local, regional and global environment. In light of this, we are committed to continuous improvements in environmental performance and the prevention of pollution, particularly in relation to reduction in energy, sustainable waste management, recycling, and prevention of pollution.

We work hard to maintain an Environmental Management System which satisfies the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 which forms the framework for achieving continuous improvement through regular set objectives and monitoring our environmental performance.

Environmental Management Programme & Objectives
Whilst The Carling Partnership does not produce any emissions or pollutants that come under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations issued by DEFRA, the company has identified that its most significant impacts on the environment include:

Disposal & recycling of waste (including paper, consumables and electronic equipment).
Energy usage.
Purchase of consumables.
Water supply.
Maintenance of buildings.

Methods for reducing our environmental impact include:

Reuse, recycling and disposal of waste:

Provision of recycling bins to support recycling of wastepaper, glass, cans and plastic products.
Recycling of toner cartridges & other consumables.
Re-use of scrap paper for note taking and printing internal documents.
“Consider the environment” message in signature strip of emails.
Registering with the fax and mail preference services to prevent junk faxes/mail.
Rusing or recycling obsolete items wherever possible, (e.g. IT equipment, furniture and mobile phones to support local charities and schools etc).

Paper, Printing and Photocopying:

Double sided printing and photocopying.
Printers set at “reduced toner”.
Use of electronic storage to minimise the requirement to print and copy.
Shared drive to hold internal policy and process documents to reduce the need for printing multiple copies of internal documents.

Energy usage:

Thermostats for heating set correctly.
Lights and equipment turned off when not being used and equipment never kept on “standby”.
Use of low energy bulbs and fluorescent tubes.
Turn thermostats down in areas that need less heat (e.g. store rooms) and outside of working hours.
Ensure that heating and cooling do not operate simultaneously (e.g. windows and doors kept shut while heating is on).
In winter – close blinds after dark to reduce heat loss.
Maximise use of natural light through sensible office layout.

Meetings, transport and company car usage:

Determine if travelling to a meeting is necessary; use telephone / conference call facilities when possible to avoid un-necessary travelling.
If a meeting is necessary public transport should be used where possible.
Car sharing is encouraged.
Provide sustainable driving advice to staff to include:
Limiting the time the engine is idling when the car is not being driven.
Avoiding rapid acceleration and heavy breaking to reduce fuel consumption.
Where possible encouraging the purchase / use of economical vehicles.
Ensuring company cars are serviced regularly and tyres are at the correct pressures.

Purchase of consumables:

Ensure purchasing decisions include evaluation of suppliers’ environmental policies and adherence to appropriate legislation, regulation and codes of practice including those acts that do not relate directly to the business of The Carling Partnership including the Climate Change Act, Contaminated Land Regulations, Control of Pollution Act, Environment Act, Ground Water Regulations, Hazardous Waste Regulations, Landfill Regulations, Packaging Waste Regulations, REACH, Road Traffic Act, Waste Industry Act, Water Resources Act, Wildlife & Countryside Act and any other mandatory requirements in place from time to time.
Commitment to trading with suppliers that are recognised as “fair traders”.

Water supply:

Ensure that taps do not drip or leak when switched off.
Installation of “hippo” toilet flush systems or improvisation using a solid object in toilet cisterns to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
Use dishwashers only when there is a full load.

Maintenance of buildings:

Insulate attics, doors, windows, pipes and boilers to minimise heat loss.
When carrying out any refurbishment works, we consider the use of energy efficient materials and products that reduce energy consumption during their life span.

Policy Implementation, Monitoring & Checking
The Managing Director is responsible for co-ordinating and updating the environmental policy and for ensuring that it is communicated to all employees. Responsibilities include:

An annual audit of the company’s activities.
An annual assessment of the company’s energy consumption together with observations on how this may be reduced without impacting the needs of the business.
Implementation and review of environmental criteria for procurement of consumables and auditing this to ensure the most environmentally friendly choices are made.
Provision of facilities for segregation and recycling of waste.
Training and communication to staff in all aspects of the policy.
Establishing and monitoring environmental records including audit results, progress and corrective action.
Meet or exceed all the environmental legislation that relates to the Company and identify any new or forthcoming environmental regulation.

Communication of the Policy
The Carling Partnership will continually raise environmental awareness within the Company through the development and training of its employees and will communicate openly and consult with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders on relevant environmental matters.

All of our employees are expected to comply with any Environmental Policy and Procedures that are in place. Deliberate disregard such policies and procedures will be considered a disciplinary offence.

The Carling Partnership fully supports any Environmental Policies and Procedures implemented by its Clients and we will ensure that any staff supplied are briefed in respect of such policies that Clients have in place. To ensure that this is maintained, we will copies of policies and guidelines in operation with our clients.

Review
This policy will be reviewed regularly and may be altered from time to time in light of legislative changes or other prevailing circumstances.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POLICY

Policy Statement
The Carling Partnership is committed to operating its business in a manner that is both sensitive and responsible with proper regard to its legal obligations and according to relevant directives, regulations and codes of practice. It is also committed to supporting the Government’s vision for Corporate Social Responsibility in terms of businesses taking account of their economic, social and environmental impacts, specifically:

Promoting business activity that brings simultaneous economic, social and environmental benefits.
Encouraging innovative approaches and continuing development and application of best practices.
Ensuring best minimum levels of performance in areas such as health & safety, the environment and equal opportunities.
Creating a framework that facilitates business practices that balance profit and success with achievement of social and sustainability goals.
Taking an active part in supporting the local community and social causes.

Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility
The company recognises that its operations have an effect on the communities and environment in which it operates. In light of this, we are committed to operating in a socially responsible manner, supporting a number of local communities and social causes, as well as running its operation in an environmentally sustainable manner. We do not do this because it is a statutory requirement, but because we believe it is the right thing to do.

We aim to behave ethically and act with integrity in our dealings with our business partners, clients, employees, stakeholders and the communities within which we work.

We expect all of our associates, candidates, consultants, contractors, employees and suppliers to put these values into practice and we aim to:

Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all those with whom we associate and who are affected by our work;
Treat everyone with whom we work with dignity and respect;
Limit our impact on the environment as far as is reasonably possible.

Local Community & Social Responsibilities
The Carling Partnership is proud to support local community projects as well as a range of deserving and charitable causes including:

Encouraging our employees to become involved in our corporate charitable work and support them, both practically and financially, in their individual charitable endeavours;
Our Managing Director is secretary to the Incorporated Brewers Benevolent Society and is responsible for assisting brewers and distillers and their dependents in need and advising on the awarding of grants.

The Carling Partnership also lives its values by providing free support to jobseekers from the within its niche sectors in terms of acquiring job market skills. This includes providing individual help with:

Focused job search activity.
CV writing.
Interview Techniques.

Our Staff
We are committed to ensuring that we provide a motivational and fulfilling environment in which to work. We focus hard on recruiting and retaining the best people, recognising their achievements and rewarding their efforts.

We believe that much of our success can be attributed to the values that we hold and that are embedded throughout the organisation which include:

Professionalism.
Honesty.
Confidentiality.
Loyalty.

Environmental Management Programme & Objectives
Whilst we do not produce any emissions or pollutants that come under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations issued by DEFRA, the company has identified that its most significant impacts on the environment include:

Disposal & recycling of waste (including paper, consumables and electronic equipment).
Energy & water usage.
Transport and company car usage.
Purchase of consumables.
Maintenance of buildings.

Methods for meeting the objectives within the Environmental Management Programme include:

Maximising the reuse, recycling and sustainable disposal of waste.
Minimising unnecessary energy usage and waste.
Use of new technologies that reduce environmental impact (e.g. installation of double sided printers that have reduced our office paper usage by 45%)
Minimising the impact of company car usage.
Purchasing consumables in an environmentally sustainable and fair manner.
Minimising unnecessary water usage and waste.
Ensuring that buildings are maintained in a manner that minimises environmental impact (we are currently reviewing the possibility of installing solar panels to our office).

Equal Opportunities
It is our aim to create an environment that encourages and values diversity within its workforce and builds on the differences individuals bring, enabling the Company’s continued success. We aim to draw upon the widest possible range of views and experiences in order to meet the changing needs of our staff, clients and partners.

We seek to promote diversity and to respond to the needs of all individuals in a fair and equitable manner, whilst observing our commitment and responsibility to current legislation.

To achieve this, the company will:

Fulfil its social responsibility towards its employees, temporary workers and the communities in which it operates.
Recognise all of its legal obligations.
Make all opportunities (including advertising, interview and selection processes, promotion and training) as accessible as possible to under-represented and protected characteristic groups.
Conduct monitoring and analysis (with groups of employees within the company, jobseekers in the local community and the demographic of the broader labour market) to ensure processes are fair, equitable and accessible and to identify any significant under-representation.
Endeavour to attain a workforce that is representative of the communities from which it is drawn to secure the widest pool of talent possible.
Recruit, train and promote the best person for the job, to make full use of the talents and resources of all our employees.
Create a working environment free from unlawful discrimination, victimisation and harassment in which all employees are treated with dignity and respect.
Periodically review its selection criteria and procedures to ensure that they remain compliant and maintain a system that ensures fairness.
Distribute and continuously publicise its Equality & Diversity Policy throughout the company, to employees, temporary workers, clients, partners, visitors to the company, in advertising, and elsewhere as appropriate.
Provide the facilities and opportunity for any employee who believes that they have been treated inequitably within the scope of this policy to raise the matter through the appropriate grievance or complaints procedure.
Log all reported instances of harassment and take action to mitigate and minimise harassment and victimisation wherever possible.
Ensure that employees understand that breaches of this policy will not be tolerated and could lead to disciplinary proceedings.

Our approach to equal opportunities applies equally to both our own employees and the way in which our recruitment services are offered to clients and candidates.

Health & Safety
It is the Company’s duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees. This requires that regard is paid in particular to:

Maintaining healthy and safe premises, as well as a healthy and safe working environment.
Providing and maintaining safe systems at work.
Providing health and safety information and training.
Publishing and regularly updating a Company Safety Policy.
Ensuring safety in the use of articles and substances.
Conducting special risk assessment for expectant, new mothers and young persons.
Providing such information, training, instruction and supervision as is necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of all employees.

Human Rights
The Carling Partnership is vehemently opposed to the use of slavery in all forms; cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments; and any attempt to control or reduce freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

The Company will ensure that all of its employees, agents and contractors are entitled to their human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Company will not enter into any business arrangement with any person, company or organisation which fails to uphold the human rights of its workers or who breach the human rights of those affected by the organisation’s activities.

Ethical Purchasing & Procurement
The Carling Partnership is committed to procuring its works, goods and services in an ethically and environmentally sensitive way, yet with proper regard to its commercial obligations, ensuring that suppliers deliver to agreed timescales, quality and cost.

Purchasing is undertaken in a manner that encourages competition, and offers fair and objective evaluation of offers from all potential suppliers.

Purchase of goods and services with an annual value in excess of £10,000 excluding VAT will be conducted according to the following principles:

Completion of a business case to evidence the need to purchase.
Procurement practices will be transparent, auditable and fair.
Research will be conducted to ensure a clear understanding of the risks associated with the purchase of goods and services, and purchasing decisions will include contingency and risk mitigation strategies.
Tendering is based on both quality and cost, is evaluated in a fair, objective, and structured manner that actively encourages competition.
Small, local and BAME (Black, Asian & Ethnic Minority) organisations will be encouraged to participate in the procurement process.
Company employees responsible for purchasing will not accept corporate gifts, or any type of solicitation that could be construed as enticement.
The procurement process demonstrates that the approach taken to competition is rigorous, balanced and driven by service needs and market intelligence.
Potential suppliers are ethical, sensitive to the environment and operate within EU and UK legislation.
Suppliers are able to demonstrate their ability to deliver continuous improvement and cost savings throughout the life of the contract.
Business transactions will, where possible be conducted electronically.

Review
This policy will be reviewed regularly and may be altered from time to time in light of legislative changes or other prevailing circumstances.