In today's ever-evolving business landscape, embracing sustainability and responsible corporate practices isn't just a choice; it's a necessity. In our article, we’ll guide you through our ESG roadmap and the initiatives we are undertaking to set us on a path towards a more sustainable future with social responsibility, and ethical practices.
At Air IT, we are committed to making a positive impact on our customers, colleagues, and the communities where we operate. To achieve this, we have recently implemented an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, which focuses on creating ways to positively impact the environment, as well as improving our workplace culture and policies.
In order to prioritise our commitment to ESG factors, we have taken several steps by employing a full-time ESG Manager, forming an ESG committee, and establishing six key Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
Our ESG commitment in action
Our recent Employee Survey revealed that our staff desires more opportunities to participate in discussions about change. To provide our employees with the opportunity to make Air IT a better place, we have launched six Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
The creation of our ERGs will allow us to focus on achieving our ESG goals by implementing positive short-term actions that will make an impact across our business. We identified six key initiatives that we’d like our colleagues to support us with as we continually improve and grow as a business.
Below are the ERGs we have and the initiatives we are currently working on:
Green Group
We have a long-term focus on waste reduction and recently had a short-term focus on reducing travel during the month of August. This was to offset the emissions created by staff travelling during their summer holidays as well as the travel to and from our annual Air Fest team-building day which took place at the start of September. With the success of Green August, we are now encouraging staff to think carefully about their need to travel, and where possible to hold more meetings online.
By taking these measures, we hope to offset our carbon footprint and become more environmentally responsible. The group is also exploring carpooling, litter-picking, green SWAG, and how we can achieve net zero.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to embracing different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences and fostering innovation, equality, and respect, to create a vibrant, harmonious environment where everyone can thrive and contribute. Immediate actions consist of the group launching The Element Club, the goal of which is to create a community of Air IT women to support the building of strong business relationships with the aim of developing careers in tech.
We’ve also added the ability to add pronouns to work emails and Microsoft Teams, as well as the recent addition of free sanitary products for all women’s toilets across all offices assisting in the fight against period poverty and creating safe spaces and effective working environments for the neurodivergent community.
Health and Wellbeing
Prioritising our employees’ health and wellness is a long-term goal. We intend to accomplish this by implementing quarterly challenges that will encourage physical activity and foster connections among staff members from various departments and offices.
We are also reviewing the snacks we provide in the office and investigating strategies to promote healthy eating while keeping the cost-of-living crisis in mind. In addition, we want to encourage our staff to take breaks from their desks during lunch.
To further increase knowledge about mental health and encourage open communication, we are partnering with mental health charity, Mind, to deliver mental health training as part of our continued efforts to create a supportive workplace environment.
It is critical to us that our employees believe they get the necessary support, advice, and assistance to guide them in the right direction. Our Employee Assistance Programme provides our employees with counselling sessions, 24/7 access to a support line, and financial, legal, and bereavement assistance.
Community and Charity
We are currently dedicated to actively engaging all our employees in the selection and nomination of charitable causes. We are also diligently crafting a comprehensive business proposal for charity days and seeking sponsorship funding. Additionally, we are excited to introduce a range of innovative initiatives aimed at boosting fundraising efforts for our charity of the year, Guide Dogs.
We are currently involved in a charity laptop initiative aimed at collecting unused or spare laptops from both clients and within the business. These laptops will be wiped and rebuilt with basic licensing which will then be donated to the icanyoucanto charity, who will then distribute the devices to a cohort of students who don’t have access to their own laptops so that they can support them in their education.
Social
The focus is currently on team building and implementing fun initiatives and social activities to foster camaraderie, boost employee morale, and enhance team cohesion across our different offices. By creating a positive atmosphere, we aim to improve communication and contribute to employee well-being.
Mental Health
The Mental Health Group provides support for our Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs). We currently have a team of 25 MHFAs across the business, which is headed up by our Chief People Officer, Carolyn Cole. The group serves as a network to collaborate with the Health & Wellbeing group to promote and support mental health in the workplace.
We look forward to sharing further details in the coming weeks regarding the goals and initiatives our ERGs will undertake as the groups become more established.
Siyane Knowles, ESG Manager at Air IT says:
The ultimate goal of ESG is for us to be a socially conscious company, covering everything from the environment to equal pay, among other things. ESG is critical for an IT company like Air IT because it allows us to focus on and uphold sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical practices. It also ensures that our business strategy and sustainability efforts are not mutually exclusive; rather, they work together because the morally correct path in today’s climate often also makes the most business sense.
Take the first step towards a sustainable future
There are many steps companies can take to initiate their ESG journey, one of which is through innovation and technology. Investing in sustainable technologies and innovation can significantly help to reduce environmental impact and improve efficiency.
Our recent blog explores several different ways that SMEs can reduce their carbon footprint through technology, including a collection of useful tools and resources to help you navigate the world of environmental sustainability.
If you require additional information regarding any aspect of this article, please get in touch or speak to your Account Manager and we will be more than happy to discuss your needs.
