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Background As a major global organisation, G4S plays a significant role in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people – both directly through employment and indirectly through its approach to the communities in which it operates.
We take that role very seriously and encourage all of our businesses to actively raise standards and invest in the communities in which they operate. At a group level, we also invest in programmes which contribute positively to the community and environment and we set international standards and policies to which our businesses must operate.
Business Ethics G4S is committed to operating to the highest levels of business ethics throughout its operations. We have an extensive business ethics policy which describes the company’s minimum expected standards in a wide range of areas such as:
> Human rights
> The environment
> Community involvement
> Bribery and corruption
> Compliance with the law
> Accounting standards
> National regulations and guidelines
> ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
> Equal opportunities
> Health & safety
> Whistle-blowing and complaints
This policy is communicated to managers throughout the group and, on an annual basis, they are required to declare individually their personal commitment by endorsing the policy and confirming compliance within their own area of responsibility.
Strict adherence to the principles of the business ethics policy is required of all group employees. Compliance with the policy is monitored through our internal and external audit functions and through the group’s whistle-blowing facilities.
We take our responsibilities in this area very seriously and take swift and robust action against any non-compliance.
Environment Whilst the service industry is not a sector which has a major impact on the environment, we do realise that G4S has a responsibility to ensure that we play our part in protecting and preserving the environment for future generations.
We already comply with the relevant standards on vehicle emissions and, to date, fuel conservation has been achieved through enhanced vehicle design and regular maintenance. We also make use of environmentally-friendly products and services wherever possible. We are committed to recycling of materials where possible and where the means to recycle materials exist. This includes the recycling of cash bags, uniforms, toner cartridges, paper and paper-based products.
We have recently established a working group which is responsible for delivering a number of projects related to the group’s “integrity” value. One such project is to create a G4S international environmental strategy during 2008.
We have started this process by researching what we believe to be the area where the group generates the majority of its carbon emissions, largely due to its relatively large heavier vehicle fleets compared to the rest of the group – our cash services businesses. This part of the organisation represents 43,000 employees, 9,000 vehicles and 22% of group revenues.
We have estimated that, in 2007, the carbon emissions of the group’s cash services businesses amounted to some 153t CO2 emissions per £1m of revenue.
In 2008 we will select a partner organisation, with strong environmental credentials to assist us in accurately establishing the carbon footprint of the group and developing plans and processes for reducing carbon emissions across the organisation.
We will aim to set targets and milestones for the group as a whole and will report regularly on our progress against those targets. We expect our strategy to cover key areas such as:
> Fuel consumption
> Energy consumption
> Water usage
> Recycling
> Use of environmentally-friendly products
> Use of modern communications to reduce the need for air travel
Employee Welfare & Support The group has established an employee trust fund which offers monetary support, at the discretion of the fund’s trustees, to those employees and former employees in need of urgent financial assistance.
During 2007, the fund was utilised in a number of ways to provide emergency assistance to employees across the group in areas such as:
> Victims of political turbulence and violence in Kenya
> Employees affected by severe flooding in the UK
> Staff who have suffered injury or attack whilst on duty
> Colleagues diagnosed with life-threatening or debilitating diseases
> Families of employees who have died whilst carrying our their duties
> Relief from the effects of natural disasters in Peru and Jamaica
Investing in the Community – Local Initiatives G4S encourages its colleagues around the world to invest time and energy in local projects in the communities in which they live and work. We are very proud of the work they do in areas such as:
In Guam & Saipan, G4S employees have been involved in a number of education initiatives; adopting a public school and carrying out renovations and cleaning; and providing much needed equipment such as desks and cabinets for a high school that sustained significant fire and smoke damage.
G4S Uganda took part in the Habitat for Humanity Uganda initiative and helped to build homes for orphans and widows who had been caught up in the rebel activities in Northern Uganda. So relentless were the efforts of the G4S team, they made one family’s dream come true by building them a home in just four months.
During 2007 the employees of G4S Canada have contributed over CAN$110,000 to a number of child centred charities across the country, giving up their free time to take part in fundraising events and improving the lives of thousands of sick or disadvantaged children.
In India, G4S supports a wide range of community projects. One of these, Future Hope, is a centre which provides a home, education, medical aid and opportunities for street children in Kolkata.
During August 2007, the employees of G4S Greece provided vital assistance to the community of Peloponnesus when ferocious forest fires took hold of great areas of the country. G4S organised a support mission, providing clothing, first aid, food supplies and toys for children. During one 14-day period over €14,000 was raised and 80 boxes of supplies gathered through the generosity of G4S employees.
In the USA, amongst a whole range of charitable activities, G4S Wackenhut employees take an active role in mentoring disadvantaged high school students through a community programme “Take Stock in Children”. The employees meet with the students weekly to review their academic progress and encourage them to study and continue to college.
Investing in the Community – Major Initiatives In 2006 G4S plc commenced five major community projects in key markets. Managers and staff in our developing markets selected projects which they believed would benefit greatly from G4S central funding and local G4S business support.
The main aim of these projects was to engage our workforce in their local community, give something back to the communities in which we operate and provide a long-term stable commitment to key issues.
We are very proud of our community projects and the time and commitment invested in the projects by our colleagues in the different countries.
Malawi – G4S Community Trees in Malawi – Malawi has low levels of energy available to the rural and urban population, and as a result timber is the main source of energy for heating and cooking. In Malawi over 1.5 million trees are cut down each year and over a million trees are used to convert into approximately 150,000 tonnes of charcoal.
G4S Community Trees in Malawi was developed to provide a sustainable forestry farming project which provides for own-grown fuels to Malawians living in a rural areas in the Karonga region of Northern Malawi.
50,000 acacia saplings were placed in the plantation area in 2007. With the saplings safely in place, the project’s employees were given training in planting trees, transplanting trees, how to irrigate the soil, how to tend to the trees that were not faring so well and finally how to use crop rotation in order to grow staple foods, such as maize, at the same time as the trees.
The villagers involved in the project are earning a recurring living wage from the G4S Community Trees project and their training in the maintenance and care of the tress is ongoing, making a real difference to the lives of the villagers involved in the project.
Plans are already underway to plant a new crop of trees in 2008 to ensure the plantation grows further.
Training will continue with further family members recruited from the villagers – the overall aim is that those trained will pass on their learning to others year on year allowing this project to last a lifetime.
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Jamaica – G4S Gifts for Schools Project – G4S Gifts for Schools aims to make life a little easier for young people living in some of the most deprived communities in Jamaica by providing them with equipment and toys, and ensuring that repairs to their accommodation take place.
G4S Jamaica has provided support to a range of institutions for young people during 2007, such as a boys’ home in a remote area of the country, a hostel for young mothers suffering from HIV, and community housing for both able-bodied and disabled children.
One such facility, the Little Angels Basic School, has seen some substantial improvements through its involvement with G4S. G4S Gifts for Schools is renovating two school buildings used to teach physically and mentally handicapped children. New classrooms have been built, repairs undertaken to the roof, electrical repairs have been made and existing classrooms and walls are receiving a much needed coat of paint. This project has involved G4S employees along with local contractors and the staff who run the facility. The whole community is joining together to make a difference to the lives of young people.
India – G4S School for Under Privileged Children – The aim of the G4S School for Under Privileged Children is to provide free education, food and uniforms to children of working parents allowing them to continue to work whilst their children are in a place of safety.
In 2007, G4S India engaged with a national NGO, The Hope Foundation, a charitable organisation involved in providing sustainable education for children. The school will be located in the Papankala area of New Delhi. This area has about 1,500 homes populated by about 15,000 people, with a child population above 3,000. Many of these children are not currently at school and the G4S School for Under Privileged Children will provide their best hope of an education.
A building has been located and is being redesigned and refurbished to transform it into a school. G4S India will provide books and other school equipment, along with teachers to provide a structured curriculum of education for the children. The school will provide education facilities for up to 300 students. The school’s seven classrooms will each accommodate 30-35 pupils. Additional facilities will incorporate a staff room, an administration block, a principal’s office, a media room and a computer lab for students. The aim is to open the school in the second half of 2008.
China – G4S China Jifu Action Project – G4S Jifu Action is an educational project in Shanghai, which aims to provide a purposeful learning environment for the children of the Nanhui Taoyuan Orphans’ Foster Home Center and improved educational facilities for local orphans in Nanhui.
The G4S Jifu Action Project was launched at the end of 2007. In its first term of education the project enrolled 12 disabled children. Two teachers employed by the project provide the children with eight courses including Chinese, mathematics, physical education and handicrafts. The number of children who are offered this structured education will increase over the life of the project with over 80 children benefiting from the G4S Jifu Action Project education programme.
Russia – G4S for Children Project – The G4S for Children Project has found a positive way of helping support the work of two children’s homes, which are known as “Internats”, in the Moscow region, both of which care for children with disabilities; the two beneficiaries are the Municipal Institution, Special Secondary School – Internat for Children with Sight Disabilities, and the Specialised School – Internat for Orphans with Health or Physical Development Disabilities.
The aim of the G4S for Children Project is to improve the lives of the children living in the Internats through the provision of specialist education, general equipment and sporting equipment for the children at the specialised school.
G4S for Children has provided for three classrooms in the special secondary school and equipment such as interactive white boards, projectors and computers – all of which were installed in time for the school’s 70th anniversary celebrations in March 2008.
G4S Russia hopes its community project will throw a lifeline to many children, giving them the opportunity to pursue lives as adults that are promising and rewarding.
Developing Young People – G4S 4teen – Engaging a large international workforce in a major global brand is a challenging target. In 2007, we launched an international sporting programme for young people, aimed at inspiring G4S employees throughout the world and making them proud to be a part of G4S – in a way which is not limited to a particular language, race or religion.
The G4S 4teen programme was developed to provide support to aspiring young athletes from developing markets, with a view to them achieving their sporting dream of competing in a future Olympic Games.
We worked closely with the National Olympic Committees from 13 countries (Bangladesh, Botswana, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Estonia, Guatemala, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Macau, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand) to select 14 young people who would benefit from the programme.
As well as providing financial and other support to the 14 selected athletes, G4S is proud to have attracted a global sporting icon to act as a project ambassador and a mentor to the G4S 4teen members.
Haile Gebrselassie is a double gold medal winning Olympian and the current world record holder for the Marathon following his win at the Berlin Marathon in October 2007.
Haile has provided inspiration and practical support to the athletes, offering his advice to some of the 4teen to help them overcome the barriers they have faced during their training. He is a national hero for Ethiopia and in the world of sport and has become an inspirational member of the G4S global family.
Future Development – launched to the world in June 2007, the G4S 4teen programme continues to grow from strength to strength. Many of the 4teen have achieved great success at major sporting competitions around the world, some have won national sporting awards, and we expect at least four of the 4teen to represent their countries in the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
In addition to financial support, some of the athletes have received very practical support from their local G4S businesses, such as computer skills training, English language lessons, mentoring and media training – all of which have helped them prepare themselves to compete on the international stage.
G4S has played a significant role in helping these young people to become the best they can be in their chosen sport during 2007 and is fully committed to continuing to provide practical and financial help to our very special 14 talented sportsmen and women for the next five years. |
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