USG People’s name expresses exactly what our organisation is about: people. Each and every day our activities focus on helping people find a job. Helping people grow and seeing to it that they get ahead. Offering people a challenge, motivating them, appreciating them and helping them achieve their ambitions. By listening and paying attention to people’s needs we want to help them take a step in the direction that suits them. People are our core business. So it will come as no surprise that USG People’s Social Responsibility Policy (SR policy) is mainly focused on the ‘P’ in People.
development of GROUP SR policy – the start
USG People actively starting developing a group-wide SR policy in the course of 2010. Many wonderful and special SR initiatives have been taken within the different operating companies in the various countries, some of which date back years while others are more recent. The Executive Board felt the need to define a clear overriding vision and strategy for these ideas and initiatives. For this reason a Corporate Director Social Responsibility was appointed in October 2010 to fully focus on the steps that need to be taken to arrive at a widely supported vision and strategy that will provide structure and coordination in the SR policy.
In the exploratory stage we focused on our motivation for developing a SR policy, our SR objectives and our vision looking ahead to 2020. A strategy has been developed and a policy has been drafted. In early 2011 we will define concrete measures. In the course of 2011 we will publish our first SR report and a detailed plan of action for the coming three years.
REASONS FOR DEVELOPING A SR POLICY
There is a wide range of reasons to take SR eriously. One is that we are convinced of the fact that companies that do not draft a SR policy and do not act as such will have little to no right of existence in the long term. People want to be proud of the organisation for which they work. They want to be able to identify with the organisation and feel valued. They want the moral values that are dear to them to be reflected not only in their private life but also in their professional life. A great deal of attention is paid to people’s development. But attention must also be focused on complex challenges in the ever-changing society of today and tomorrow. The impact of corporate activities on the environment is another area of attention. In our opinion all these elements need to be expressed in our SR policy. We believe that organisations which do not enhance the different roles they play in society will eventually lose the battle of attracting involved and socially responsible people.
These are not the only reasons why SR is so important to USG People. There is a growing call from within our own organisation but also from stakeholders for us to develop a policy in this area. In tender procedures for the government SR forms an integral part of the decision-making and award process. This has helped put SR higher on the agenda and it is clear there is an urgency to develop a policy, not only from us but also from our direct surroundings.
To be able to develop and implement a SR policy in a sustainable way it is important to define objectives for both the short term and long term. We have defined our vision for the long term (2020) as follows:
‘In 2020 USG People wants to set itself apart as the employer focused on the development and growth of people. By stimulating innovative developments USG People wants to make the best possible use of its means and distribution channels, and at the same time be a leader in the European market for flexible employment.’
SR objective, mission and strategy
In drafting a SR objective, mission and strategy it is of initial importance to carefully assess the own organisation and the moral values associated with it. What makes USG People unique and how is this manifested? Which roles do we fulfil in society and how can we communicate and utilise these even better?
The SR mission and strategy are based on our business principles and more specifically on three core themes: diversity, responsibility and integrity.
Diversity
USG People is a company focused on people. It operates at the heart of society due to its core business of helping people find a job. A society that changes day after day and is unique because of our diversity. We aim to ensure equal opportunities for everyone: man or woman, young or old, ethnic minorities or not, people with or without a disability. As a company we too aim to achieve diversity in the staffing composition at every level of our organisation. USG People wants to be a company for everyone in society. We believe that diversity is enriching, offers different insights and therefore helps contribute to better results.
The added value we recognise in diversity is also evident in our multibrand strategy. USG People sets itself apart in the various distinct brands that focus on their own market segment. It ensures that everyone is addressed in their ‘own language’ so they feel they are understood better, and that candidates and clients deal with someone who knows the local market and customs. Every person and every company is different. It goes without saying that this requires a personal approach based on recognition and an appreciation for diversity.
Responsibility
We believe in people. We believe that people have a natural urge to want to progress, develop and learn. We also believe that people want and have to be responsible themselves in this respect. We want to give them a chance to be responsible by giving them the opportunity to grow and the prospect of a job that suits them. And to help them take that extra step if they need it.
People are not only responsible for themselves. They are also responsible for their environment and for the planet they live on which provides them with the resources they use. It is their responsibility to ensure that future generations can also live on a habitable planet.
USG People feels it is also responsible. Responsible for its internal and external employees. We offer them a working environment that is safe, healthy, challenging and stimulating. We view it as our responsibility to give our employees sufficient opportunities to be stimulated and challenged. In doing so, we want people to commit to the organisation for the long term. We also want employees to be proud of themselves and USG People, just as we are proud of our employees.
USG People also wants to contribute to a better environment. We aim to minimise our footprint and balance the three P’s – People, Planet and Profit – in a sustainable manner.
Integrity
We strive to act with integrity in everything we do. Complying with internal and external laws and regulations is one aspect of this. But integrity is more than compliance with laws and regulations. We aim to translate laws and regulations into transparent conditions, guidelines and contracts so that it is clear to all just what can be expected of us. Integrity mainly has to do with the personal integrity of each and every employee, our ability to deal with conflicting interests and to devise and implement sustainable solutions.
Integrity is also an important element of our leadership model. We must be able to guarantee that our executives and managers have the right professional qualifications and are able to act as role models for creating the integrity-based corporate culture we hold dear. After all, good examples are often followed.
SR objective
The aforementioned core themes meet in our SR objective:
‘We aim to assist as many people as possible in their development and to work with them and our clients to find them the right job. We want to be able to provide our internal and external employees with challenges, growth opportunities and prospects, taking into account human and social aspects both inside and outside of USG People. Diversity, responsibility and integrity are key in this respect. In doing so we are aware of our surroundings and strive to achieve a sustainable balance between People, Planet and Profit’.
SR policy
USG People has decided to base its SR policy on the ISO 26000 guideline. This is an international guideline in the field of Social Responsibility. This guideline has helped us to categorise all internal initiatives that can be linked to SR in an easily recognisable way.
ISO 26000 identifies seven core subjects:
1. organisational governance;
2. human rights;
3. labour practices;
4. the environment;
5. fair operating practices;
6. consumer issues (for USG People read: client interests);
7. community involvement and development.
We have defined all seven core subjects of ISO 26000 for USG People and attached tangible objectives and measures to each. Given the number of objectives and measures they will not be able to be implemented all at once. In early 2011 we will start prioritising and outline the policy in more detail in a plan of action for 2011, 2012 and 2013.
We believe that our SR policy will contribute to a more innovative, recognisable, safe and successful company and therefore a better and sustainable society.
Stakeholders
Ensuring stakeholder involvement is an important part of USG People’s SR policy. We want to stay connected with society, our community, clients, shareholders, suppliers, internal and external employees and other stakeholders.
This was a reason for us to hold two stakeholder meetings in 2010. In October 2010 we held an internal stakeholder meeting. The participants included a number of executives from operating companies, country managers, representatives from the Central Works Council and representatives from the Facilities, IT, HR, Communication and Strategy departments. The entire Executive Board and a representative from the Supervisory Board also participated in the discussions. The draft SR policy was presented and discussed at this meeting. Topics of discussion included the alignment of policy with reality and the expectations of USG People’s internal stakeholders when it comes to SR. The policy was outlined further as a result of the meeting.
In December 2010 we organised a meeting with external stakeholders. We used the opportunity to discuss our mission and strategy. The meeting was attended by representatives of clients, suppliers, shareholders, employees, government, unions, charities, banks, our external accountant auditor and the Executive Board.
The feedback we gathered at both meetings has helped us increase our focus and incorporate a number of matters more visibly in the policy, mission and strategy.
Transparency
An important requirement for our SR policy is transparency. USG People will report on its SR policy and what we have achieved, what areas we can improve, what is going well and what could be done better. We are setting clear and measurable targets. As soon as the plan of action for the coming years has been finalised we will communicate on the KPIs and the targets we are setting.
so what’s next?
In early 2011 we will finalise the plan of action for 2011-2013 with the aid of the objectives, strategy and policy that have been outlined. The plan of action must prioritise the many objectives and measures which we have defined. We will be able to put this plan into action straight away. We will communicate on it both internally and externally.
We have set ourselves the objective of publishing our first SR report in the course of 2011. We also aim to organise meetings with our stakeholders again in 2011 in order to constantly monitor their thoughts on whether our objectives are also resulting in motivated employees, a profitable and innovative company and a more habitable planet.