Corporate Responsibility Policy

Transcription

1 Corporate Responsibility Policy This Policy sets out Royal Mail Group s commitment and approach to responsibly managing our impacts on, and relationships with, our people, customers, communities and environment. Main topic areas 1. Overview / Purpose 2. Scope 3. Policy statement 4. Governance 5. Performance measurement 6. Reporting 7. Where to go for further information 8. Information re related documents 9. Ownership and review Getting help Contact the Corporate Responsibility team via at if you have any queries about this policy. For more information about Royal Mail s Corporate Responsibility performance, read our CR Reports online at community/cr-reports VERSION 5, May 2018 Page 1 of 5

2 1. Overview / Purpose Corporate Responsibility is defined by the European Commission as the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society. We aim to be a leader in responsible business. Our objective is to ensure a sound and sustainable Universal Service and generate sustainable shareholder value. We employ robust governance and management processes to drive our performance. We commit to a high standard of external disclosure of our performance and use the Global Reporting Initiative Index to achieve this. Finally, we commit to measuring our performance against peers using leading global corporate responsibility and sustainability benchmarks (such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index). This Policy sets out the framework for the development and implementation of corporate responsibility activities across Royal Mail Group. 2. Scope This policy applies to anyone who is employed by, or performs services for, or on behalf of Royal Mail Group. We require related undertakings (including subsidiaries, third parties and joint venture partners) to adopt this policy or have policies of a similar standard in place of their own, and include this in our due diligence procedures. 3. Policy statement Royal Mail Group is committed to making a positive contribution to the communities that we serve. We connect millions of customers, businesses, organisations and communities, including those in the most remote rural areas. Our objective is to ensure a sound and sustainable Universal Service and generate sustainable shareholder value. This Corporate Responsibility Policy provides the framework within which we responsibly manage our relationships with, and impacts on, our people, communities, customers and environment. We are committed to driving responsible behaviours throughout our organisation by setting clear goals for improvement. We are committed to: Delivering economic and social benefit to the communities we serve Driving colleague advocacy of the Group and its community role Operating with integrity Managing the environmental impacts of our business operations Delivering our transformation responsibly Communicating our management of corporate responsibility openly and transparently. VERSION 5, May 2018 Page 2 of 5

3 We also aim to ensure that our suppliers act in accordance with our key values and standards. In the UK, these are set out in our Responsible Procurement Code of Conduct. In GLS, the Business Partner Approval Process stipulates that standard contracts with transport partners contain a contract clause requiring that transport partners adhere to all applicable local laws. We are a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and work to deliver against its sustainability and social responsibility principles. Our Business Standards set out the standards and values that we expect from our people: following the law, acting honourably and treating others with respect. We commit to obeying the laws, rules and regulations of every country in which we operate. In addition, we commit to respect and implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We respect and support the 30 Articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Fundamental Conventions, covering freedom of association, the abolition, elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour, the abolition of child labour, and the elimination of discrimination in the workplace. We welcome the introduction of the UK Government s Modern Slavery Act. We are committed to playing our part in helping to prevent any incidence of modern slavery or human trafficking in our business and supply chain. We are proud to be a responsible employer and promote good labour standards for our industry. We have employment policies covering key issues like health and safety, reward (remuneration) and working hours. Our commitments to corporate responsibility are further outlined in our related policies. See section 8 for more information. 4. Governance The Managing Director of Corporate Affairs, Customer Experience, Marketing and Regulation is accountable to the CEO for implementing the corporate responsibility strategy, supported by the Corporate Responsibility team. CR is further integrated in the way operate through the following governance bodies: Royal Mail Group Board: Receives regular updates on corporate responsibility activities, e.g. monthly health and safety briefings. It also reviews and approves the Corporate Responsibility Report every year. Chief Executive Committee: Individual members of the CEC take responsibility for corporate responsibility aspects of the people, customer, community, environment and supply chain strands. Environment Governance Board: Drives the environment strategy, proposing targets for approval by the CEC and VERSION 5, May 2018 Page 3 of 5

4 5. Performance measurement ensuring delivery of improved performance. The group is made up of senior managers accountable for functional areas concerned with material environmental issues, including fleet, facilities management and customers. Diversity Council: Responsible for progressing and monitoring our diversity performance. Members include the Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer, Group HR Director, frontline employees and representatives from the CWU and Unite. Multiple committees support the Diversity Council on other strands of our diversity strategy including gender, ethnicity, LGBT, disability, youth and parents and carers. Corporate Responsibility team: Responsible for delivering the strategy, supporting CR across the business units and reporting on progress. 1. Internal measurement: We are committed to clear measurement and monitoring of our corporate responsibility activities in order to drive improvement. We monitor this through: Corporate Balanced Scorecard: Managers remuneration is linked to corporate responsibility achievements through our Corporate Balanced Scorecard, defining both corporate and individual goals. Continuous Improvement: Monitoring performance in safety, productivity and environment through a comprehensive system focused on continuous improvement. We provide further detailed review and reporting on our progress annually in our Corporate Responsibility Report. 2. External measurement We aim to be a leader in responsible business, as evidenced by our CR performance in external benchmarks. We assess our performance in high-profile, international standards for sustainability and responsibility including the Dow Jones Company Sustainability Assessment and the FTSE4Good Index. These include stringent assessments on our governance and risk management processes as well as on our performance. 3. Stakeholder feedback We measure our performance based on the perceptions and feedback from our stakeholders: customers, colleagues, suppliers, regulators, government and the wider community. 6. Reporting We report transparently on: 1. Governance structures. 2. Issues that are significant and relevant to the business. 3. Our impacts on, and relationships with, stakeholder groups of customers, people, communities, suppliers and the VERSION 5, May 2018 Page 4 of 5

5 7. Where to go for further information 8. Information re related documents 9. Ownership and review environment. Our CR Report is reviewed by the Board each year. We use the Global Reporting Initiative Index to inform the contents of our reports. The Index demands a high level of disclosure. The UK represents over 90 per cent of our employee headcount and reports are therefore focused on this country. However, we are increasing the coverage of our European business General Logistics Systems (GLS) and, where possible, include GLS data. We already include GLS data in our reporting of carbon emissions and diversity. We also include an overview of GLS s learning and development, community and environment activities. We have the information in our reports externally assured to provide stakeholders with confidence in the data and assertions. The Getting Help box on the front page tells you where to find further information. The useful information available in relation to this policy is as follows: Corporate Balanced Scorecard Our Business Standards employee s guide Environment Policy Responsible Procurement Code of Conduct Procurement Values Brochure Anti-bribery and Corruption Policy Safety and Health Policy This policy is owned by Shane O Riordain, Managing Director of Corporate Affairs, Customer Experience, Marketing and Regulation. Version5, updated in March May VERSION 5, May 2018 Page 5 of 5