Balfour Beatty Plc - Head Office
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 Balfour Beatty Plc - Head Office 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 Balfour Beatty Plc - Head Office 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:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
We also pledge the following:
promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and Wider public. Governance Of commitments: ensuring that a Steering Group is maintained to oversee the delivery of the Covenant across Balfour Beatty and renewal Of the Company’s accreditation under the Employer Recognition Scheme; measure activities and reporting on progress on an annual basis. Employment opportunities: supporting the employment of Service Leavers, Veterans, Reservists and Service Families; recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process; with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and Other partners (including but not limited to project RECCE, BuildForce Forces Employment Charity and White Ensign Association) to support employment opportunities, including those in hard-to-reach groups. Work experience: providing work experience opportunities to Service Leavers in their Resettlement period, Veterans Who are unemployed or requiring additional support and Service Families. Balfour Beatty Talent Pathway: delivering a pathway to assist Service Leavers and recent leavers in their transition to a civilian career with the Company and providing additional skills development as required in their new role. Service Families: supporting the employment Of Service spouses, partners and dependents; partnering With the Forces Families Jobs Forum; and providing flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment or re-location. Publicising Early Careers and Other opportunities to Service Families. Reserves: supporting our employees Who are members Of the Reserve Forces; granting 10 days additional paid leave for annual Reserve Forces training; supporting any mobilisations and de- ployment; actively encouraging members of staff to become Reservists. Royal Engineers: working With the Corps Of Royal Engineers to provide professional and career placements in partnership With the Royal School Of Military Engineering; supporting the Institution Of Royal Engineers is pursuance of their objectives and engaging With the Corps at appropriate events to ensure regular knowledge and skills exchange between military and civil engineering and construction. Cadet Organisations; supporting our employees Who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations, granting additional 10 days additional paid leave to attend annual training camps and courses; actively encouraging members of staff to become volunteer leaders in cadet organisations; supporting local military cadet units; recognising the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce, particularly in Early Careers Programmes. Forces Network: creating and maintaining an Affinity Network (the M Network) for members Of our Armed Forces Community and Allies to provide support, advice and networking and hold regular events and engagement activities, including those aligned to national events; using the network to improve induction and retention Of Armed Forces Community employees. National Events: supporting Armed Forces Day Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Dav and Remembrance activities. Armed Forces Charities: supporting Armed Forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist. Supply chain: encouraging the use of Veteran-owned businesses in the Company supply chain; encouraging and supporting supply chain partners to sign the Armed Forces Covenant and advising them on how to gain appropriate levels within the Employer Recognition Scheme; measuring spend with Covenant signatories on an annual basis. Advocacy; supporting Defence Relationship Management in advocating engagement With the Armed Forces Community; publicising our activities with, and support for, Defence and working With customers to reinforce positive messaging.
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.