CLASSIFIED Co. Defence Systems Ltd
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, His 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 CLASSIFIED Co. Defence Systems Ltd 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 CLASSIFIED Co. Defence Systems Ltd 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:
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Additional Leave For Reservists
We also pledge the following:
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We will provide a respectful environment in which employees can discuss support needs confidentially. We will consider appropriate flexibility for those affected by service-related injury, illness or bereavement, and signpost specialist support where useful.
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We will make our Covenant commitment available to staff and job applicants and ensure that those responsible for recruitment and management understand these pledges.
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As a defence design house and programme integrator, we will encourage our industrial partners and professional network to consider signing the Armed Forces Covenant and supporting the employment of members of the Armed Forces community.
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The Chief Executive will oversee delivery of these pledges until responsibility is formally assigned to an appropriate member of staff. We will review our commitments annually, listen to feedback from employees and develop our policies as the company’s workforce and resources grow.
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We will give members of the Armed Forces community fair access to training, professional development and promotion. Employment decisions will be based on relevant skills, performance and role requirements. Employment decisions will be based on relevant skills, performance and role requirements. Employees will not be disadvantaged simply because they are veterans, reservists or military family members, and agreed military commitments will be treated fairly.
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On request, we will provide departing veteran and reservist employees with an honest and accurate employment reference. With their agreement, and wherever appropriate, we will explain how their military skills and experience have been applied within their role, the contribution these have made to the company, and their relevance to future civilian employment. We will use clear language and practical examples to help prospective employers understand the value of that experience.
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Paid preparation leave before deployment, following reservist training, following deployment.
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We will reimburse reasonable transport costs incurred by employees travelling to and from official reservist or cadet training. This will include bus fares, standard-class train tickets and petrol or diesel costs for journeys made in a private vehicle, reimbursed through a fuel milage rate set out in our company policy.
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This supports covers both the outward and return journeys. Claims will be supported by tickets, receipts or milage records, as appropriate.
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Paid leave for Reservists and Cadet Force adult volunteers. We will provide employees serving in the Reserve Forces or as Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, including cadet instructors, with 12 scheduled working days of paid training leave per year to attend official training, courses and camps. This leave will be paid at the employee’s normal rate and will be additional to annual leave, preparation leave and recovery allowances provided under our other pledges. The allowance will be 12 days per employee per year, shared across eligible reserve and cadet roles where an employee holds both.
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Employees serving in the Reserve Forces or as Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, including cadet instructors, will be entitled to leave work up to 90 minutes before their normal finishing time on official parade evenings.
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This allowance will support travel home, meals, family time and preparation before attending their unit. Early release under this provision will be limited to 90 minutes per parade evening and subject to operational requirements.
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.