Sustainability report 2016/17

Transcription

1 Sustainability report 2016/17

2 Operating with a positive effect Community People Customers Environment Our sustainability strategy covers four main areas that are taken into account when making key business decisions: the communities in which we operate, our people, our customers and suppliers and the environment. The Board receives reports on each of these as appropriate. Responsibility for the overall sustainability strategy fully integrated and aligned with the key pillars of our business strategy. There are three key objectives that underpin 1 To 2 3 To use our expertise in communications technology engage and empower our people so they can make a positive contribution to our sustainability strategy and the causes that matter to them. 30 KCOM Group PLC Annual report and accounts 2016/17

3 Community We operate in a way that benefits local communities as well as supporting our strategic aims as a business. Our significant presence in Hull and East Yorkshire means we make business decisions with the potential impact on that community in mind. > Our employees spent 1,820 hours volunteering > We delivered learning activities in 48 local schools and colleges to help young people develop technology and employability skills. > Our employees raised more than 70,000 to The continued focus of our community relations programme is on activities that support the growth and sustainability of Hull and East Yorkshire s economy and which increase life opportunities for local residents. Contributing to the local economy Our commitment to supporting the region s economy is reflected in our investment in becoming a Principal Partner of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, the programme for which is expected to deliver economic, cultural and social benefits to the region throughout the year and beyond. We continue to be an active member of local business organisations including Humber Bondholders, which promotes the region as create jobs and wealth; and C4DI (Centre For Digital Innovation), a technology hub that is helping to drive the development of the digital economy locally. Supporting the region s young people As potential future customers and employees, we want to support the region s young people to fulfil their potential and become work-ready. During the year we engaged with 48 local schools and colleges, delivering educational activities designed to raise aspirations, support employability skills and encourage young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). As an employer sponsor of the Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC), which opens activities supporting STEM education in the region. Charity and community support During the year we supported 156 community groups and charities in Hull and East Yorkshire through the donation of funds, employee time and business services. Our employees spent 1,820 hours volunteering during the year by taking part in charity collections, delivering educational activities in schools and supporting internet skills sessions in the community. Beyond Hull and East Yorkshire, we have continued life-changing care and support to young people in the three year partnership our employees raised more than 70,000 to the charity, taking the total raised through the partnership to date to more than 162,000. We have also continued our patronage of The Prince s Trust, the UK s leading youth charity, which aims to change lives by offering training, personal development, business start-up support, mentoring and advice to young people. We are also supporting the region s economy through our ongoing deployment of fibre-based broadband, which is giving local businesses the fastest connectivity in the UK. More than 4,000 firms are using it to become more productive and serve their customers better. Our commitment to support the region s economy is reflected becoming a Principal Partner of Hull UK City During the year we schools and colleges. KCOM Group PLC Sustainability report 2016/17 3

4 People Much of the value we deliver to customers is through the expertise and experience of our people. Our sustainability relies on our ability to attract people with the right skills and behaviours and recognition and reward. > We have established professional communities and clear career pathways for each main area > We have introduced a new recruitment system and careers portal that will make it easier to attract and recruit people with the skills we need. > We have introduced a new HR advisory service them develop their skills in handling employee relations issues. We encourage our people to make the most of the learning employment with us. During the year we have continued our drive to develop professional communities as a method of fostering collaborative learning among colleagues within particular fields, as well as a way of identifying and addressing potential skills gaps. From two communities at the start of the year we now have eight, covering all the key areas of our business. Gender diversity We have clear policies in place which mean that men and women are given equal opportunities, both when we are recruiting and in developing and progressing once with us. As at the year end the gender diversity of the Group was as set out in the table below: Employee engagement We communicate and consult with representatives from across the business on proposed organisational changes, and regularly carry out employee engagement surveys. In addition, our Change Network, made up of employees from across the business, exists to support and increase engagement with our strategy and the adoption of ways of working that are aligned with our strategy. Projects supported by the Change Network during the year and development. Male Female Female % Board Directors % Executive Leadership Team (ELT) % Other employees 1, % 1. The ELT is defined as the senior leaders who have overall responsibility for key functional areas. Having brought together all our people within a single, integrated business, we have introduced regular events where they are encouraged to explore our shared ways of working and collaborate with colleagues from other business areas. These were attended by 180 people during the year. Fifty-six people took part in our leadership development programme aimed at new people managers and potential We encourage our people to make the most of the learning and development opportunities we offer throughout their employment with us. Our Change Network supports and increases engagement with KCOM Group PLC Sustainability report 2016/17 4

5 Customers and suppliers Sustainable relationships with customers and suppliers are vital to our success. We have a responsibility to treat them fairly and with the highest ethical standards, and to do business in a way that has a positive effect not just on them but on wider society. > We introduced an online feedback platform that allows us to engage more closely with customers and develop a better understanding of their needs and views so we can improve the service we > we introduced regular online skills sessions at more Hull and East Yorkshire locations. Relationships with customers We believe we have a responsibility to our customers to tackle the issues that are important to them in relation to the products and services they buy from us. While being online brings many benefits including better access to government services, the ability to buy goods and services at lower prices and reduced social isolation, many people lack the equipment, skills and confidence to use the internet. We are striving to address this in our Hull and East Yorkshire market by making available affordable internet packages and by offering support to customers to develop their online skills in a relaxed environment and at a pace that suits them. Online safety continues to be a cause for concern among customers and as we engage with a growing number of local schools through our community programme we are making the most of opportunities to raise awareness among young people Contracts with key partners and suppliers include provisions relating to mitigation of risks that may affect their ability to provide us with goods and services, and we carry out regular credit checks on all suppliers. During the year we rationalised our supplier base to achieve economies of scale wherever possible and worked with individual suppliers to identify ways in which we can reduce their costs by introducing efficiencies such as streamlining ordering and delivery processes. These activities are aimed at ensuring Tackling digital exclusion 88-year-old George Marsh recently joined the other The retired driving instructor took his first steps on social media at one of KCOM s monthly internet drop-in sessions. George is a regular visitor to the sessions, where he has been proving you are never too old to learn new skills. Brandishing his ipad, he said: I just like to keep my mind active. I have used computers before but at my age I keep forgetting things so it s nice to come back in for a refresher. I really enjoy coming in because the people are really helpful and help you get to where you want to be. I mainly use the computer for keeping up to date with the news and the weather. It keeps me informed with what s going on in the world. These sessions are a godsend really, without them I wouldn t have much use for my ipad. It s a lifeline. members of the Internet Watch Foundation, an international organisation focused on making the internet a safer place. As part of our efforts to ensure customers get the best possible experience from the internet services we provide, during the year we developed materials to help customers identify and resolve broadband problems caused by factors in the home, such as wiring and radio interference, that are outside of our control. Relationships with suppliers As well as treating our suppliers fairly and doing business with them in a sustainable way, we also have a responsibility to make sure that our suppliers operate with the same ethics and standards as us. All our suppliers are expected to sign up to our Supplier and Partner Code of Conduct, which sets out our expectations in relation to laws and ethical standards, labour practices, risk management and business continuity. We work closely with our key suppliers to ensure that we understand the way in which their business operates and their approach to sustainability. KCOM Group PLC Sustainability report 2016/17 5

6 Environment Our use of electricity still makes up the vast majority CO 2 e emissions coming from the electricity we use at our offices, data centres and various network sites both nationally and in the Hull and East Yorkshire region. Each year we seek to reduce our emissions wherever possible and we continually review and improve the with the aim of making it as easy as possible for > with the actual tonnage of waste that has gone to compared to 17.4 tonnes in the prior year. > In the year the CO2e tonnes produced from face with our customers whenever necessary. In the year the CO 2 e tonnes produced from our electricity usage has fallen by 1,861 tonnes or 11.1 per cent. This reflects a relatively flat number of kilowatt hours of electricity used in the year, but a lower carbon factor published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which are the factors we use each year to calculate the conversion of our electricity usage and other carbon emissions into CO 2 e tonnes. Information for our carbon emissions reporting comes from our own internal systems, third party travel companies, suppliers of fuel, waste collection and recycling services and from our electricity supplier. Area Actual Total CO 2 e 17,874 tonnes Waste sent to landfill 17.9 tonnes Target for the Not to exceed 2015/16 levels Target met? Yes Not to exceed 2015/16 levels of 17.4 tonnes No Future target Not to exceed 2016/17 levels To return to 2015/16 levels Breakdown of our emissions % Premises electricity Premises other fuel and waste Business travel Emissions in the year The table below sets out our annual emissions in tonnes of CO 2 e. Combustion of fuel and operation Year ended 31 March 2017 CO 2e Year ended 31 March 2016 CO 2e 2,976 2,719 Purchase of electricity 14,898 16,759 Total 17,874 19,478 Tonnes of CO 2 e per 000 of revenue During the year the CO 2 e created from the combustion of fuel and operation of facilities has risen by 9.5 per cent. This is mainly due to an increase in the usage of refrigerant gases in the year, as a result of our phase-out of the R22 refrigerant gas to comply with the Ozone Depleting Substances regulations, which has meant the replacement of R22 when any work is performed Reducing our energy consumption During the year the following energy-saving measures have helped us to keep our electricity usage low despite installing additional street cabinets in the year. LED lighting We have replaced fluorescent lighting with LED lighting in our main offices, reducing our energy usage for lighting by up to 40 per cent at these sites. We will include LED lighting in the specification for future refurbishments across our estate. Motion sensor controls We have installed PIR (passive infrared) motion sensors significant reductions in energy usage, such as in exchange sites, where visitors are infrequent, and our largest offices. We have reduced our energy usage for Air conditioning We have installed inverter-driven and variable speed drive air conditioning in technical buildings (exchanges, switch sites and hosting facilities) where it can have the greatest impact in addition to reducing the volume of cooling required. Where we have done this it has achieved reductions in energy usage for air conditioning by up to 77 per cent. Signed on behalf of the Board The CO 2 e created from our business travel has increased in the our employees to travel only when necessary, although we acknowledge that some travel is essential in order to do Kathy Smith Company Secretary 9 June 2017 KCOM Group PLC Sustainability report 2016/17 6