Green Policy

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

CSR is about how businesses take account of their economic, social and environmental impact- maximising the benefits and minimising the downsides of the way they operate. CSR is defined by the CBI as the acknowledgement by companies that they should be accountable for the impact of their activities on society and/or the environment.

Minimum legal requirements

The minimum level of behaviour for any organisation is to meet the legal requirements and ensure compliance in areas such as environmental protection, health & safety and employment rights.

The 2006 Companies Act introduced a requirement for public companies to report on social and environmental matters while the government had previously made changes to the 1995 Pensions Act requiring pension funds to disclose the extent to which they take social, environmental and ethical issues into account when investing money.

The Government approach is to encourage and incentivise the adoption of CSR.

CSR is about the voluntary actions that business can take, over and above compliance with minimum legal requirements, to address both its own competitive interests and the interests of the wider society. This may include philanthropy and engagement with the community through activities such as employee volunteering or other gifts in kind, as well as the company’s stance on the environment and ethical conduct both within and outside the organisation.

The recognised benefits of implementing CSR policies is that it makes companies more attractive to potential and existing employees, giving them a better brand and reputation, and assisting in making decisions that are better for the business in the long term. The obvious benefits of this make successful CSR a desirable achievement, although confusion can leave many companies with a non-cohesive programme.

Businesses that recognise the value of social responsibility often have employees who tend to be more satisfied with their jobs, adopt similar values, and become more committed to achieving success within the industry.

Employees also have higher levels of engagement which drives both morale and business results, because people want to be associated with a successful organisation that has a positive image. And we hope that our clients also “get” the message.

So what does this mean for a WeType Client?

The majority of Wetype typists work from home. This immediately reduces the travel carbon emissions by up to 6 tonnes a year…for each typist. This assumes that they might have driven in a car 10 miles to work each day
By not having a secretary travelling to your place of work you, as a client, can also benefit from this reduction in carbon emissions
WeType encourages clients to be “Green” by asking them to receive their invoices by email, as well as all other forms of correspondence thereby reducing physical print activity to zero

Best Practice

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by reducing travel costs to zero
Use of online virtual facilities e.g Cloud-based and thin client
Electronic ‘paperless’ invoicing system
Minimised consumption of non-biodegradable products (plastics), provision of water cooler
Use of recycled products, wherever possible
Conserve resources (e.g., water), use of energy saving light bulbs, turn off electric sockets overnight