Solution
A People & Culture committee was established, formed of staff volunteers, that led on the corporate social responsibility initiatives. Based on staff concerns, the recurring issues identified could be divided into four areas, therefore it was necessary to form four committees that reflected these areas. The four committees are as follows: The Charity Committee, The Mental Health Committee, The Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Sustainability Committee.
Process
Once formed, entirely at the hands of passionate staff volunteers, these committees created and implemented policies and procedures that supported their objectives.
The Charity committee implemented a charity days procedure within the HR platform which allowed staff to book paid days off for charity, eliminating the issue of not finding the time to give back to the community and providing the committee with an effective way to measure the number of charity days taken, track their progress and meet their objectives. The charity committee also set up a number of valuable partnerships with local charities, and sends a company wide monthly newsletter outlining the upcoming opportunities for that month.
The Mental Health committee undertook mental health training to become mental health advisers and be able to support the staff with such issues. They also partnered with an Employee Assistance Programme that provided immediate support and guidance to staff.
The Diversion & Inclusion Committee set about implementing a number of practices and procedures to regularly survey the thoughts and feelings of employees and ensure that the workspace is an inclusive and safe environment for everyone. Based on employee feedback, the committee was able to identify the key issues and implement effective policies.
The Sustainability Committee explored policies and procedures that could be implemented to hold the company accountable and to make a commitment to reduce its environmental impact. The committee also formed a partnership with The Planet Mark who helped NMPi plan, measure and implement continuous improvements to their carbon footprint.
People & Culture also introduced a surveying platform (Peakon), which is taken industry wide. Through a numerical scoring system the committees are able to measure the feeling of the entire staff which ensures that they are heading in the right direction.
Result
The Charity Committee found that through the implementation of charity days and charity partnerships, staff were able to spend a total of 262 hours (in 2019) dedicated to local community work and raise £17,793 for charitable causes. The committee hit their yearly target, tripled what was made in 2018 and surpassed initial expectations.
The Mental Health Committee now has five Mental Health First Aid trained team members who are able to assist employees and conduct one on one confidential sessions. The committee has also hosted a number of external and internal webinars to educate others on the importance of mental wellbeing in the workplace and how to support the community around them.
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee identified the key areas that staff wanted to see improvements in, and, as a result, has reviewed policies and procedures across the company. The committee has hosted several speaking events, implemented training sessions and set up a number of affinity networks for women, LGBTQ+ and POC staff.
The Sustainability Committee, with the help of Planet Mark, introduced an initiative to cut down company carbon emissions by 10% YoY. The launch of this goal resulted in 64% of the workplace believing that Incubeta are doing enough to support sustainability, which is an increase of 34% in comparison to 2019. The committee has also run over 5 internal sessions to support sustainable employee engagement within the office and increase awareness.
Conclusion
Through establishing the People & Culture Committee, Incubeta recognised the need to acknowledge and act upon staff concerns which in turn allowed employees to contribute to Incubeta’s company culture, and feel more connected to the local community. Individually the four sub-committees have tackled independent issues which has fostered a collaborative spirit at the heart of Incubeta and enriched the lives of it’s employees.