As part of our continuous development and improvement of standards, SGC Security Services has now joined the Good Business Charter.

 What is the Good Business Charter?

The Good Business Charter is a simple accreditation which organisations in the UK can sign up to in recognition of responsible business practices.

It measures behaviour over 10 components: real living wage, fairer hours and contracts, employee well-being, employee representation, diversity and inclusion, environmental responsibility, paying fair tax, commitment to customers, ethical sourcing, and prompt payment.

Will it change organisational behaviour?

We hope so. In order to sign up to the Charter each organisation will need to evaluate the way it operates in relation to the ten component areas. As more organisations get involved, and as GBC members get publicly recognised and rewarded, we hope that it will become increasingly difficult for companies, charities and public sector organisations to sit outside this framework

Small companies and small third sector organisations

In recognition that 99.3% of all businesses in the UK have less than 51 employees and given the level of interest we had from smaller organisations in the first few months of the Good Business Charter’s existence, in January 2021 we launched a streamlined version for organisations with up to 50 employees, developed in collaboration with FSB (Federation of Small Businesses).  This assessment seeks to use language more accessible to this size of organisation whilst still upholding the same standards of the 10 components of the GBC.

Why we need the Good Business Charter

The time is right for a ‘Good Business Charter’ to encourage responsible business behaviour and to publicly acknowledge those organisations who exhibit such behaviour. Our aim is to inspire as many organisations as possible to change their behaviour, where required, in order to sign up, which should in turn encourage wider good business practice.  To this end we have made the GBC simple, streamlined and free in the first year with very low annual costs thereafter.

Improves accountability

This charter improves accountability. It is a voluntary accreditation and one that we hope companies, charities and public sector organisations will be enthusiastic to join. There are a lot of good organisations and entrepreneurs in the UK that already operate to the GBC principles, and who are keen for accreditation to recognise their responsible behaviour. We hope that others will modify their behaviour so as to gain this accreditation.

How/why did we select these initial 10 components?

The 10 components cover employee conditions, tax, the environment, and the treatment of suppliers and customers. Whilst we could have had more elements, we consider that these 10 are all achievable for most organisations and will make the most significant difference in the shortest period of time. We will canvass feedback from members and evolve the criteria going forwards.

We have also developed an accreditation for the public sector, charities and other organisations in the third sector, which covers nine components because the tax component is not relevant for them.  We want to recognise public sector and third sector organisations that have responsible practices towards the environment, their employees, stakeholders and suppliers alongside the valuable public service/charitable work they do.

Businesses, public sector and third sector organisations self-certify to the Good Business Charter through the website but will be expected to submit relevant documentation as proof of compliance. The GBC will attempt to rigorously uphold its standards and work closely with partners to ensure appropriate monitoring and enforcement.

The Good Business Charter measures behaviour over ten important components but we believe responsible behaviour by organisations shouldn’t be limited to these.  Members are expected to adhere to the spirit of the Good Business Charter in their dealings with all stakeholders (workers, customers, subcontractors, suppliers, and the community), in their approach to the environment and in their legal and financial compliance.   In the event of a material issue occurring which could question their right to membership then the Trustees’ decision is final in deciding whether it should be rescinded.

The GBC does not seek to judge the ‘morality’ of the type of business, as long as they are operating within UK law.  All organisations are eligible for GBC accreditation irrespective of their line of business.  In exceptional circumstances, the GBC’s Ethics Committee will review applications which meet the 10 Charter criteria but may nonetheless not warrant accreditation.

Our 10 components

The time is right for a “Good Business Charter” to encourage responsible business behaviour, publicly acknowledge and reward those organisations who exhibit such behaviour.

Our aim is to inspire as many organisations as possible to change their behaviour, where required, in order to sign up, which should in turn encourage wider good business practice.

The Good Business Charter commits organisations to:

The Real Living Wage

The GBC requires all employers to pay directly employed staff and regularly contracted staff the real living wage as set out by the Living Wage Foundation and for those with over 50 employees, commit to becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer within a mutually agreed time frame.

Fairer Hours and Contracts

The GBC requires a fair approach to zero hours contracts, including fair shift scheduling and cancellation policy, and proper consideration given to contracts with guaranteed hours.

Employee Well-Being

The GBC requires clear, fair and transparent policies that support and encourage employee well-being and ban unreasonable penalties for legitimate sickness.

Employee Representation

The GBC requires all employers to engage with worker representatives and to ensure there is a voice that represents employees around the boardroom table.

Diversity and Inclusion

The GBC requires businesses to evidence how they monitor the diversity of their workforce and their commitment to close the gender, disability and ethnicity pay gaps.

Environmental Responsibility

The GBC requires businesses to commit to an environmental policy to demonstrate they are committed to reducing their environmental impact and continually improving their environmental performance.

Pay Fair Tax

The GBC requires businesses to commit to paying their taxes, not engage in tax avoidance and commit to be transparent in their relationship with HMRC.

Commitment to Customers

The GBC requires businesses to publish their commitment to their customers on their website. Businesses will be expected to gather and monitor customer feedback and report the results to their board.

Ethical Sourcing

The GBC requires businesses to commit to the standards set out in the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code for sourcing through a process of continuous due diligence.

Prompt Payment to Suppliers

The GBC requires businesses to sign the government’s Prompt Payment Code.