The Good Business Charter provides businesses with an excellent opportunity to promote their good business practices - and we are now accredited with them.

The charter exists for all companies and charities with 10 employees or more across all industries and sectors and works through a simple online self-certification process.

At a time when people are caring more about who they work for and who they buy from, the Good Business Charter offers a straightforward accreditation which recognises organisations which prioritise and care for their employees, the environment, customers and suppliers, whilst also paying their taxes according to the spirit of the law.

What does the charter consist of?

The charter contains 10 commitments that organisations need to abide by. These are listed below, with our commitment outlined:

Paying the Living Wage

We are a Living Wage Employer who pays directly-employed staff and regular contracted staff the regular Living Wage.

A fair approach to work hours and contracts

We commit to a fair approach to zero or minimal hours contracts, including giving at least two weeks’ notice for scheduling shifts and still paying shifts cancelled at less than two weeks’ notice.

We commit to give proper consideration to providing contracts with guaranteed hours. Both of the above are necessary unless requested otherwise by the employee of their own free will.

Supporting employee wellbeing

We will have clear, fair and transparent policies that support and encourage employee wellbeing and ban unreasonable penalties for legitimate sickness.

The workers’ voices are heard

We will engage with worker representatives and ensure there is a voice that represents employees around the boardroom table.

Creating an inclusive workplace

We will commit time and money to creating an inclusive workplace. We will monitor the diversity of our workforce, commit to close the gender, disability and ethnicity pay gaps and narrow the CEO/worker pay gap.

Reducing our environmental impact

We care about the environment and have an environmental policy which demonstrates the ways in which we are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance.

As part of our environmental action, we have pledged to halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Commitment to paying taxes

We commit to pay our taxes, not engage in tax avoidance, and to be transparent in our relationship with HMRC.

Dedication to our customers

We recognise our commitment to our customers. We publish this commitment on our website and gather and monitor customer feedback, reporting to the board and addressing concerns.

Ethical trading

We commit to the standards set out in the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code where relevant to our organisation.

Paying suppliers on time

We are signatories of the government’s Prompt Payment Code, showing a commitment to paying our suppliers promptly.

More detail on each of these components can be found online.

How to sign up to the Good Business Charter

Visit the Good Business Charter website for details of how to sign up and what criteria you need to meet.

Read more about the benefits of signing up to the Good Business Charter.

Streamlined application for smaller organisations

Organisations with fewer than 50 employees may benefit from signing up via this streamlined process which has been adapted to take into account smaller organisation’s differing needs and experiences.

Read about this and other accreditations that may be of interest to your business on our Accreditations page.