We have some extremely exciting news - J&PR has received the Good Business Charter Accreditation!
You may be wondering what this means and what J&PR has done to receive such a fantastic accreditation… look no further! Everything you need to know is in this blog.
What does receiving accreditation from the Good Business Charter mean?
Our accreditation from the Good Business Charter means that we have been recognised as a business with responsible practices.
To achieve accreditation, a business must meet all 10 of the Good Business Charter’s components.
What are the 10 components?
We’re glad you asked! Here are the 10 components that J&PR is committed to:
1. Real living wage
Different to the National Living Wage, the real living wage ensures employees are paid fairly and in line with the true cost of living.
2. Fairer hours and contracts
We’ve always been lovers of flexibility at J&PR, so even before the first lockdown our staff had the freedom to work remotely if they wished. We’re hoping to have access to our office again soon, but staff are more than welcome to remain working from home (or wherever they are!) should they wish to.
We also support flexible working hours, meaning that our employees can work at times that suit them… no more worrying about who’s doing the school run!
3. Employee wellbeing
As part of the accreditation, the Good Business Charter “requires clear, fair and transparent policies that support and encourage employee wellbeing”.
Our health and wellbeing policies have always been clear at J&PR, and we regularly update them based on current circumstances (like, for example, a global pandemic).
Our Wellness Programme offers staff access to external companies and therapists, rewards and goals and what they should expect from the office environment.
One example of this is face-to-face sessions with the fantastic hypnotherapist Jo Cook when we return to the office, so our employees can speak to a professional about any anxieties they may have as they transition through the next phase.
4. Employee representation
Everyone’s voice is important and should be heard. Those who need a representative know they can turn to a colleague to represent them or a representative from a union. There is a structure in place for issues to be raised and escalated to senior management at the first opportunity. Regular one-to-one staff meetings are held where the staff member is given the opportunity to raise any issues - regarding working processes, clients, account management, colleagues and anything else they wish.
5. Diversity and inclusion
J&PR encourages diversity at all stages of recruitment, selection and retention of employees. Our recruitment policies and grievance policies outline these. As a business we are committed to closing the gender, disability and ethnicity pay gaps.
6. Environmental responsibility
Our Environmental Policy outlines our objectives of good environmental and net zero practice. Our environmentally friendly approach to business is part of our office culture.
7. Pay fair tax
We are committed to paying our taxes and are transparent in our relationship with HMRC. Why wouldn’t you?
8. Commitment to customers
It’s no secret that we love our clients and we love shouting about their feedback. You can read our most recent client testimonials here and here, or take a look at our case studies page!
If you’ve had a great experience with J&PR, we’d love it if you left us some kind words of your own! You can leave us a Google review here.
With regular client review meetings and the structure of an account manager and an account director our clients know they can raise any issue they have at the first opportunity. We are constantly asking for feedback but more often than not the client wants to tell us what a fabulous job we have done before we even get to ask!
But if there are negative issues, we will be the first to put them right. Reputation management is our game and first class customer service is what we are proud of.
9. Ethical sourcing
We ensure our standards in terms of both working practice and ethical sourcing meet the BTI base code.
10. Prompt payment to suppliers
From July 2021, 95% of invoices to small suppliers must be paid within 30 days. The Good Business Charter strongly recommends that members prioritise paying all suppliers within 30 days as standard practice.
We are one step ahead there and always try and pay the invoice the same day it comes in! Yes really we do! Our suppliers will vouch for that!
Does it matter? Of course it matters. How can small businesses thrive if they have thousands of pounds owed to them? We expect our clients to pay within 14 days so we will do the same - or within one day more often than not!
Amazing! What’s in it for clients?
When you choose to use J&PR for any of its services, our Good Business Charter accreditation ensures you’re using a great business that puts its employees, clients and business practices above anything else.
If you’d like to find out what makes us so great for yourself, pop us an email at info@jandpr.com - we’d love to have a chat with you.
