Augur
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families
The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.
Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.
Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
1.1 We Augur will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 Augur recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community:
- Generating a military leavers scheme where service leavers can access a fully paid 3 month internship to help their transition to civilian life.
- Supporting Reservists by offering additional 10 days of annual leave (paid) to carry out their duties.
- Supporting Cadet Force Adult Volunteers by offering additional 5 days of annual leave (paid) to carry out their duties.
- To work with Defence to highlight to Augur employees they will be supported if they choose to join the Reserves.
- Implementing comprehensive HR policies that recognise and support the unique needs of serving personnel, reservists, and veterans
- Working with the Career Transition Partnership to offer opportunities to those transitioning from military service
- Striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners through an inclusive approach to our recruitment systems and linking to military employment networks such the Forces Families Job Site; we also endeavour to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment.
- Promoting grassroots military sport:
- Supporting men and women’s grassroots sport within the military community through sponsorship and equipment provision including our current sponsorship of a military unit’s Alpine Ski Team.
- Communications, engagement and outreach:
- Promoting the Armed Forces Covenant and our support for the Armed Forces Community to our staff, clients, and the wider public
- Supporting Armed Forces events such as Armed Forces Day/Week, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities
- Appointing an Armed Forces Champion within our organisation to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support
- Providing training and awareness for our staff on the Armed Forces Community and their unique needs
- Commercial support:
- Ensuring the Armed Forces Community has fair access to our services and is not disadvantaged by their service commitments
- Offering flexible contract terms where possible to accommodate military postings
and deployments
- As proud champions of the Armed Forces:
- Actively advocating for the Armed Forces Community within our industry and professional networks
- Seeking opportunities to collaborate with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces Community
- Continuously reviewing and enhancing our support to ensure it remains relevant and effective
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.