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The Social Value Strategy forms part of Arcus FM’s ongoing commitment to transparency and action across Environmental, Social and Governance areas.
The strategy which has been in place since 2022 has two central action areas – community work and employability.
Community work sees the company donating to charitable causes. This includes the provision of labour for projects where colleagues’ skills could have a tangible impact, working in partnership with their suppliers. The company also runs an ‘Arcus in the Community’ scheme, which sees colleagues and stakeholders nominating causes that have a measurable impact on their community, to receive funding.
As an inclusive employer, the employability action point focuses on four main under-represented groups as a priority. These are young people with a focus on care leavers; those serving in or soon to be released from prison; ex-services personnel; and individuals with health conditions.
The launch of the Social Value strategy comes in the same week that Arcus learned it has been recognised for its contributions to employment as finalists for the Kimberley-Clark Golden Service Awards in the Social Impact category.
As one of its largest operational areas in terms of headcount, Arcus’s Soft Services department celebrates its Social Impact on supporting people back in to work.
In the last fiscal year (2022-23), working closely with a range of social value partners, Arcus’s Soft Services department was able to make 64 job offers, including 30 people who had been out of work for longer than 12 months, seven returning citizens, two who were classed as having a disability, and one care leaver.
So far, this fiscal year (April – December), Arcus has offered employment to a further 34 people within their Soft Services department. 25 of those people were unemployed for longer than 12 months, six were classed as having a disability, two were returning citizens, and one care leaver.
Chris Green, CEO at Arcus FM said: “It’s important to us as a business that we lead the way in aspects of ESG. Having transparent and open plans that we report on across Net Zero, EDI and Social Value is central to us operating in an effective and meaningful way.
“We’re extremely proud to have our work recognised by being shortlisted for the Social Impact category within the Kimberley-Clark Golden Service Awards.”
Lisa Jardim Head of Social Value at Arcus FM said: “At Arcus, we recognise that we reflect the wider community in which our business exists.
“A big focus of our Social Value strategy is employability, because we recognise that offering employment to individuals in our four marginalised groups can often be life-changing for them.
“As an inclusive employer we aim to support as many people as possible into employment. But it doesn’t stop there for us – we aspire to develop their skills and help them reach their full potential so they can enjoy a long and rewarding career with us’.
