FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Churchill Services has announced further steps in its social support having signed the Care Leavers Covenant and the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant, as well as the appointment of a new Diversity and Inclusion Manager.
The Care Leavers Covenant (CLC) is a national inclusion programme that helps care leavers aged 16-25 live independently. It aims to provide support for those leaving care which supplements that statutorily provided by local authorities.
The covenant team works with organisations to build bespoke opportunities, structured across five key objectives to ensure that care leavers:
- Are better prepared and supported to live independently
- Have improved access to employment, education and training
- Experience stability in their lives and feel safe and secure
- Have improved access to health care and emotional support
- Achieve financial stability
Churchill is also partnering with Drive Forward, a London-based charity that helps young adults transition from care into a career and achieve their full potential and through them we have already successfully placed a care leaver in a role with us.
The Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) is a pledge taken by businesses to support women affected by domestic abuse to enter, remain or re-enter the workplace.
For women who have suffered domestic abuse, access to employment is imperative to staying safe. Without a job, survivors are often unable to obtain safe and affordable housing, or money to provide for themselves and their children.
With the support of the UK Government and the Department for Work and Pensions, the ultimate aim of this covenant is to enable organisations to identify flexible and sustainable opportunities for women to achieve long-term financial independence and economic security.
The CLC and EDAC are two of three covenants introduced by the UK Government. The third is the Armed Forces Covenant, which Churchill signed in august 2019 and this year received an Employer Recognition Scheme gold award.
In further ESG news at Churchill, Lynzie Wills has been appointed as Head of Wellbeing and Diversity & Inclusion. Wills’ remit will include driving the D&I policies at Churchill, such as gaining menopause-friendly accreditation and providing more support to attracting over-50s into employment.
James Bradley, COO at Churchill Services, said: “We are putting ESG at the heart of everything we do and signing both covenants is an important step in our social support. We have demonstrated with the Armed Forces Covenant that signing is just the first step, and we’ll be looking for ways to maximise our support for care leavers and victims of domestic abuse. Lynzie will have a big part to play and we’re thrilled to welcome her to the team.”
While some personnel are finally returning to the office – the great majority of organisations (up to 83 per cent) anticipate a hybrid mix of on-premises and working from home to continue for the foreseeable future.
This means that when it comes to providing access to the workplace, where once it was simply enough to maintain a welcoming reception for visitors, organisations today must also keep a close eye on access permissions in real-time to keep buildings safe and secure while ensuring they comply with compliance.
Pitney Bowes Smart Access Management in association with FMJ has produced a new White Paper which explains how to create a welcoming, actively managed environment for authorised people.
It explains how new Smart Access Management™ (SAM) delivers a complete, real-time and data-driven view of all your people, visitors and contractors, to help give you greater control and visibility.
To download the white paper click here.
