PrintIT Reseller - issue 65

have to offer. This helps us develop STEM leaders of the future and forge a relationship with students at a young age – it’s a huge part of our approach to sustainable business. “Social responsibility is also increasingly important to our prospective employees, our partners and our customers. Today, it’s not only about being a role model business – it’s also a requirement of tenders for new contracts, which demonstrates the emphasis being placed on it by new customers.” Gillian Anderson: “Our current partnership with Mind, the mental health and well-being charity, has meant that we could begin to take on the challenge of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. Importantly, we are committed to supporting our employees in a sustainable way; by this we mean not just talking, but actually driving meaningful change and action. With our partner’s expertise, we have been able to better equip managers and leaders within the business to drive change, encourage open dialogue and promote a more inclusive culture. We have also seen similar benefits externally where we have driven a change in conversations with customers and partners and been able to share best practice.” PrintIT Reseller: What business value have you realised from partnering with a charity? PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 45 VOX POP Jeremy Spencer: “The Carbon Zero scheme itself has had a positive and tangible impact, having helped to educate Kenyan children and provided families with efficient cooking stoves, reducing the health damage caused by smoke inhalation. The business value lies in bringing our valued partners and customers into that scheme and inviting them to participate in these critical projects that we undertake in the developing world.” Sarah Mackay: “When setting up the UTAX Community Print Project, we made the conscious decision to create a CSR project that we wouldn’t directly benefit from as a manufacturer, and focussed on what we had at our disposal to offer a service that was not only beneficial to small, local not-for-profit organisations, such as the local NCT branches that we work with, but also financially viable for us to do. “We have a vast range of printing equipment here at our head office and it made sense to utilise them, when they weren’t being used for customer demonstrations or technician training. The feedback we have received from the organisations and local branches that we have supported has been extremely positive and they have all been more than happy for us to use their comments across social media to promote the project, and therefore in turn, the brand as a whole.” Adrienne Topping: “I guess that is determined by how you define ‘value’. At Sharp, the value for us comes from keeping staff engaged, motivated and confident that they are working for a company that cares. To attract and retain the best talent, employees want to know and see that a business has values and is committed to delivering on them. “We like to develop long-standing relationships and get fully involved with our charities, not just hand over cheques. The list is too long to mention everyone, but we have worked with Francis House Children’s Hospice, the British Heart Foundation, Libby Mae’s, Stockport County Community Foundation, NK Theatre Arts and Newill Academy for many years. All the while continuing to develop new relationships including Reuben’s Retreat and NAPAC.” James Turner: “CSR is an important part of the Y Soft company culture. We’ve noticed that if people are actively engaged in these sorts of activities, they are also more engaged in their work, more loyal and more productive. We understand that it is important, not only for the employee, but also for customers that the company they work for or buy from gives back to the community. “Specifically, at Y Soft, employees are very engaged in CSR, which is demonstrated by their participation in various activities organised by the company. For the civic society programme, Y Soft allocates $12,000 per quarter and all the funds are always allocated based on the applications from employees well before the deadline.” Sam Johnson: “Giving our employees the opportunity to give back to the community, or to causes close to their hearts, helps them to feel happy and proud. A workforce with wellbeing at its heart delivers the best performance and, along with the obvious positives, this is the overall business value we see in our charity work. “A large part of our community work is also with schools and colleges in our local area, helping young people prepare for their careers and promoting all of the great opportunities STEM subjects continued... Our current partnership with Mind, the mental health and well-being charity, has meant that we could begin to take on the challenge of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health Gillian Anderson