Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy
1: The purpose of this policy
As a supplier to the government Arevna Limited understand the standards and behaviours expected from us. We are fully committed to conducting our business as ethically as possible, respecting the law, and going beyond what is deemed compulsory so that in all we do we positively affect society as a whole.
This policy is part of our Quality Assurance System. It outlines how we deliver on the promise of being good corporate citizens.
Our policy focuses on achieving economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders involved. It is clustered around seven core areas where we believe we can achieve the greatest positive impacts and create value for all our stakeholders:
- Equality and accessibility
- Looking after our staff
- Human rights
- Environmental Sustainability
- Supply chain
- Community engagement and social value
- Value
We adhere to the UK Corporate Governance Code underpinned by robust processes. We actively seek to be good corporate citizens by upholding the values of this policy, taking into
consideration social value legislation in delivering goods and services and supporting key government corporate social responsibility policy areas such as diversity and inclusion, sustainability, prompt payment, small and medium sized enterprise engagement, the Armed Forces Covenant, apprenticeships and skills development and addressing the gender pay gap.
2: Who we are and what we do
We are a specialist recruitment agency supplying Doctors, Healthcare Professionals and Tech Professionals to the NHS and Health related companies. We are a privately owned business with offices in Buckinghamshire.
This policy applies to our company. It applies to all employees and workers engaged by Arevna Limited and all third parties engaged by and representing or acting on behalf of Arevna in whatever capacity.
3: Equality and accessibility
Promoting equal opportunities is fundamental to the ambitions and ethos of Arevna Limited.We welcome applications from those with as diverse a range of backgrounds as possible. All applicants are treated solely based on their abilities and all recruitment, selection and training processes are free from discrimination on the grounds of the protected characteristics. When engaging with prospect applicants or their trade associations we will
always act ethically and abide by the relevant legislation, such as the Bribery Act 2010.
All s taff receive training in the subject of equality and diversity to ensure they live by ourvalues. Our fully trained and vetted staff will treat all persons encountered in the course of their work with respect.
Some public contracts deliver services to service users with particular needs such as physical or mental disabilities, medical conditions or other factors that place them in a vulnerable position. We will ensure that these service users are treated at all times with courtesy and that their dignity, safety, security and wellbeing is always treated as a priority concern.
Our employees, those of our key stakeholders, and service users have the right to respectful treatment. We will not tolerate discrimination, harassment or victimisation in the workplace or in connection with any services we provide. We expect our suppliers to provide the same commitment, including to their own employees. The Equality Act 2010 protects against discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
4: Looking after our staff
We are only as good as the people we employ. We aim to create a great place to work where everyone is treated with respect and fairness, feels valued and can flourish. The opportunities we offer our staff give them realistic scope to develop and progress.
The flexible nature of markets we serve means we can offer jobs and income security to those who might otherwise struggle to find work.
All our staff, including temporary workers receive an itemised and accurate payslip every time they are paid so that they can understand how their take-home pay is calculated.
We also provide every temporary worker with a handbook which includes a transparent breakdown and ‘one page’ information sheet of the job role, day one rights, 12 week rights, benefits, pay structures/models offered and a calculation of the take home pay that they can expect to be received prior to completion of registration and deployment within a job role.
We regularly review the ‘one page’ information sheet and staff handbook to update it, as necessary, on an annual basis or as changes to pay and/or benefits occur.
We will only provide temporary workers via payment methods that deduct PAYE tax and Class 1 ENIC in line with IR35/ITEPA legislation and HMRC requirements.
We will protect our employees with respect to health and safety and provide them with a safe place to work as far as it is reasonably practicable as outlined in our Health and Safety Policy.
- Implemented a formal quality management system based on ISO 9001 and achieving independent certification
- Commitment to paying staff and contractors the real Living Wage
- Cycle to work scheme
- Early finish on a Friday
- Options to work remotely when required
5: Human rights
Our company is dedicated to protecting human rights and abiding by employment laws such as the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
We will ensure that our activities do not directly or indirectly violate human rights in countries where we operate.
During recruitment we look out for signs of labour exploitation and human trafficking and we take action if we have any doubt. The checks we carry out as part of our recruitment process would uncover practices typically associated with modern slavery such as the retaining of passports.
Since victims of slavery are likely to come into contact with healthcare providers, our staff receive training in the subject of human rights and can identify the signs of trafficking and refer the case to organisations which can provide support.
Our staff also receive training in safeguarding to help them better respond to the risks related to health, wellbeing and human rights of children, young persons and adults at risk.
The greatest risk of slavery, child labour, human trafficking and inhumane treatment lies in the employment of suppliers and contractors by Arevna where their work practices may be non-compliant. Therefore, we will only partner with reputable suppliers and will not enter into a business relationship with unethical businesses or oppressive countries.
6: Environmental sustainability
Our company recognises the need to protect the natural environment.
We appreciate our impact on the environment may be relatively small but we strive to make a difference as we:
- reduce the amount of waste we produce, promote re-use and recycling
- dispose of any waste through licenced contractors
- save energy and water in office(s) and on client’s premises
- encourage staff to walk, cycle and use public transport to get around
- paperless office
- automated lighting
- reducing business travel, encouraging the use of MS Teams Meetings
- taking environment into consideration during procurement / rental of:
1: company’s eco-friendly office
2: plans for company electric vehicle scheme
3: eco-friendly cleaning products
4: office equipment, e.g. energy efficient electronic equipment, sensored lighting
5: Cycle 2 Work scheme
6: Work from Home initiative
7: Supply chain
We aim to communicate with our suppliers in a fair and transparent way to establish mutually beneficial long-term relationships. We will remain in full compliance with the updated principles published in February 2017 on The Transparency of Suppliers and Government to the Public. Where contractually required, we will provide full and prompt disclosure of accurate cost, revenue and margin information (Open Book Accounting and Open Book Contract Management) in line with published guidance and the terms of each contract. Suppliers should expect us to publish agreed key performance indicators and to conduct
Pursuant to this, Arevna will not engage in bribery or corruption in any form and has a zerotolerance approach to breach whether it involves private individuals or public officials.
We work in partnership with our key suppliers and insist that they behave ethically and adhere to the same high standards of professional behaviour as we do.
Organisations that provide critical goods or services to Arevna are subject to appropriate due diligence. They are required to confirm they and their own supply chains are free from human trafficking and slavery.
We share this policy with our suppliers and expect them to communicate it to their employees and suppliers. We also encourage suppliers to develop their own CSR policies.
We have systems in place to ensure that organisations in our supply chain are paid on time. We will pay undisputed and valid invoices within 30 days. We operate a robust procedure for resolving disputed invoices promptly and effectively.
Where possible we use local businesses for marketing and printing assistance.
8: Community engagement & social value
We work in collaboration with the Social Value Portal, on-line solution that allows us to measure and manage the contribution that our organisation and supply chain makes to society, according to the principles laid out within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. This allows us to report both non-financial and financial data for the work we do to contribute to our communities.
- sponsorship or monetary donations, including matching gift programmes where
employees’ donations to charities are matched by the company - supporting a volunteer programme which allows employees to dedicate work time to
volunteering in their communities; employees could volunteer through programs
organised internally or externally and your company may sponsor volunteering
events from other organisations - supporting the surrounding community by employing local contractors
- participating in local projects
- supporting educational programs and assisting youth groups with advice on
interviewing and CV writing
9: Value
We aspire to obtain value for every taxpayer pound and to be able to demonstrate that longterm value to the taxpayer. This means that our contracts are priced to offer sustainable value throughout their life, including when changes are needed. We work in good faith to resolve any disputes promptly and fairly during the life of a contract through good relationship management and, where appropriate, contractual dispute resolution mechanisms.
We use recognised industry practices in the delivery of recruitment services to, or on behalf of, all our contracting authorities. We aim to continuously improve our services and bring innovation, ideas and expertise to help Contracting Authorities to address their strategic challenges and to support growth and prosperity in the UK.
10: Monitoring and review
This policy is reviewed at least every 6 months or sooner if significant changes are made to ensure it is up to date with regulations and industry best practices.
