The Chaucer Group

“Our people are at the heart of our business and our priority is to grow and learn together to be more sustainable so we can make a bigger difference to our clients, communities, and the environment.”

Chris Laslett

CEO Chaucer

We aspire to use our business as a force for good

Our vision is to deliver measurable impact, as we improve lives for a better and more sustainable world. We have aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations member states. Collaborating on a global framework, endorsed by governments, businesses and civil society, will help contribute to the advancement of the SDGs.

You can read the latest copy of our impact report here.

Our mission is that with a united purpose, we can accelerate how we improve the lives of our people, clients, and wider communities to help build a better world.

Additionally, we are on a journey to achieve B Corp certification. B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability to drive better balance across profit and purpose.

Environmental management

Business needs to play its part in demonstrating environmental excellence and Chaucer takes this responsibility seriously. We have set ourselves the target of reaching net zero emissions by 2025.

Covid-19 has meant us rethinking how we work and has enabled us to move to a more flexible, remote working model which has helped to reduce our carbon footprint.

We currently offset over twenty-five per cent of our emissions and, with our partners at Gone West, we are helping to make tree-planting the job for the future. We are supporting a campaign to give young people the chance to earn a living whilst providing the tools and motivation they need to make a sustainable difference.

Further initiatives we are undertaking to help reduce our environmental impact and promote a circular economy include:

leveraging digital platforms to minimise waste
selecting sustainable suppliers and encouraging pre-owned procurement
recycling equipment programmes to support partner charities
fostering a sustainable mindset in our people, partners, clients and suppliers

Diversity & Inclusion

We want to create a workplace where everyone feels able to show up every day as their true selves. In our efforts to create this safe working environment, we seek to nurture a diverse and inclusive culture that is welcoming to everyone. To ensure we are doing this properly, we have established six community groups as part of our D&I Council to celebrate diversity and foster a sense of inclusion for all.

Commitment to a real living wage

Chaucer is accredited as a Living Wage Employer. The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living and is significantly higher than the UK government's minimum for over 23s.

It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 300,000 people and put over £1.6 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Demonstrating our commitment to our people to ensure we pay a fair wage to our employees is fundamental to the values of Chaucer.

It’s ok not to be ok

In order to be your best, it is important to recognise that we all have off days. That’s why we consistently place the highest priority on our wellbeing, both physically and mentally. At Chaucer we are extremely proud to have, in partnership with MHFA England, 32 trained mental health first aiders in our business who are on hand to help support our people and others.

Businesses need to be leading the way in environmental excellence and Chaucer is taking its responsibility seriously aiming to be Net-Zero by 2025. Covid-19 helped us rethink how we work and move to a more flexible, remote working model that has given us a head start to reduce our carbon emissions. We are offsetting over 40% of our remaining emissions and with our partners at Gone West, we are helping to make tree planting the job of the future. We support a campaign that gives young people the chance to make a living and providing the tools and motivation they need to make a difference, right now. We are continually looking to reduce our impact and are promoting a circular economy <ul><li>Improving digital platforms to reduce paper</li><li>Sustainable supplier lists and encouraging second hand purchasing</li><li>Recycling specialist hardware waste using programmes that support partner charities for IT schools in Africa.</li><li>Encouraging a sustainable mindset in our employees through a #sustainabilitymatters campaign on our Intranet.</li><li>Through our partners at Gone West, we are helping to make tree planting the job of the future. We support a campaign that gives young people the chance to make a living and providing the tools and motivation they need to make a difference, right now.</li></ul>

Giving back to your community

Giving back is great for business. As a people business, we encourage all our teams to take up to three volunteer days a year. Volunteering is rewarding and not only gives back to a community and others but for an individual it helps to grow their confidence, work in an area they are passionate about, gain new experiences and grow their network outside of their normal day-to-day environment.

As well as sponsoring several community events close to our hearts each year, such as the Pride Run, we also have a democratic company-wide vote annually to select our chosen charity. This year we are supporting The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.