Corporate Social Responsibility

Social Value is intrinsic to every contract we deliver, whether it be for a large blue-chip organisation, or a small local company. We’re always looking for ways to positively contribute to the communities in which we work and to support our customers’ social value strategies.

Countrywide has developed five Pillars to provide a framework for delivery: Environment, Service, Value, Loyalty and Community. Adherence to the five Pillars promotes the best possible outcomes for local people and ensures that social value is at the heart of our contract operations.

Environment

• ISO 14001 accredited Environmental Management System demonstrates that our policies and procedures are effective in minimising the environmental impacts of our operations.
• Our Impacts Plan, informed by Legal Register, sets out how we control, reduce or eliminate significant environmental impacts.
• We work to promote wildlife and biodiversity through the course of our activities – protecting habitats, installing shelters and planting flora to encourage insects and wildlife.

Service

• Our various accreditations, including ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001, CHAS and SafeContractor SSIPs, assure our customers of a high-quality service and demonstrates that we have the processes in place for consistently safe and compliant operational delivery.
• In addition to regular auditing, frequent meetings with customers provides us with opportunities for services to be evaluated and improved.
• We take responsibility for any mistakes and will converse with customers to outline what we will do to resolve any issues. This reduces complaints and improves customer satisfaction.

Value

• We are committed to adding value to every contract we deliver, to both our customers and their stakeholders. Financial donations, resources, time, opportunities, ideas and enthusiasm are all ways in which we can add value.
• Donations can include supporting local charities, providing materials for community improvement projects or investing in local infrastructure.
• In-kind investment can include the provision of training, resources, labour and equipment for one-off or continuing projects.

Loyalty

• We run Customer Loyalty Schemes to provide a unique, free service to our partners and the wider community where we can demonstrate we have the ability to add value. It is our way of giving something back, going over and above contractual requirements to make a difference to local areas.
• The Loyalty Scheme identifies labour-orientated work which can be undertaken on customer sites during the winter period, free of charge. Where materials are required for the projects agreed, we will be pleased to undertake the labour if the materials cost is met by the customer.
• This scheme benefits customers and communities by undertaking activities on site(s) which are not included in the current specification, but which can have a great impact on local areas, improving access, visibility and aesthetics.

* Please check with your local, regional office for participation in the scheme.

Community

• Our staff live in the communities in which they work, reducing transport costs and minimising our carbon footprint.
• We work with external partners to offer work placements to the unemployed, young people, disabled people, people with mental health issues or learning disabilities and young offenders.
• Under our Customer Loyalty Scheme, we assist charities and community groups to undertake various improvement projects within the communities we work.