-
To strive for continuous health & safety improvement and promote social and ethical "best practice".
|
-
Achieve "Investor in People" certification and continue staff training.
-
Monitor compliance with Social and Ethical Policy.
-
Target Health & Safety incident rates to be below national average year-on-year.
-
Continually measure performance against Training and Development Policy.
-
Continue Induction Training and internal communication.
-
Monitor compliance with Equal Opportunities Policy.
|
-
Registered to the Investors in People Standard since 2000, re-accreditation is due September/October 2010.
-
We continue to align our ESE Objectives and practices with those identified and adopted by listed companies, our peer group and where added value can be achieved. Examples of this include our alignment to the FTSE4Good metrics and requiring our supply chain to adopt and report against our procurement policy and checklist, which has resulted in some 80% (2008-78%) of timbers procured having a chain of custody.
-
We continue to buy only Fairtrade teas and coffees for staff refreshment, recycle mobile phones and toner cartridges and have bought 100% of paper (2008: 100%) and approximately 85% of stationery products (2008: 78%) from sustainable sources.
-
Our Accident Incident Rate (AIR) has fallen and has remained below the National AIR for the Construction Industry for the last five years. The Group's AIR for 2008/9 averaged at 669 (829) reportable injury incidents per 100,000 persons employed which compares favourably with the National AIR for our industry of 904 (865 in 2007/8). We intend to maintain our Accident Incident Rate below the National benchmark.
-
During the reporting period, the Group invested £554,000 (2008 - £881,323) in employee development and training, including our Graduate Management Training Programme, which averaged, per employee, £1,053 (2008 - £1,098) or 2.6 (2.8) training days – all of which compares favourably with our peer group.
-
Whilst, our overall investment has reduced this is more of a reflection of the resource rationalisation that we, along with our peers, have had to undertake during the recession. Indeed, we have continued to invest in our people, as is evidenced by the average investment per person.
-
We are committed to high levels of internal communications. We usually achieve this through a number of channels including: presentations to staff by Senior Directors; our intranet; an email newsletter; Main Board Receptions and the Inside Countryside staff magazine. Due to the refinancing taking up a large amount of senior management time during 2009 it was not possible for all internal communication to be as regular as was otherwise intended. During 2010 more frequent staff communication, through each of these channels, will be made.
-
A new intranet did however go live in July 2009. It is a much more collaborative and dynamic platform that is enabling easier knowledge sharing and is improving internal communications. Our commitment to sustainability is communicated to our employees through each of these mediums, in addition to learning on innovative projects.
-
Due to the recession, there has been very limited new employment and accordingly induction training. However as trading conditions improve we expect to resume Induction training.
-
As previously reported, this is reviewed and continuously monitored through the Chief Executive's Advisory Group (CEAG); this Group develops and implements strategy, operational plans, policies, and procedures and monitors operating and ESE performance.
|