Phoenix sets new standard in responsible business
Phoenix Natural Gas has been recognised for its significant impact in the area of Corporate Responsibility (CR) by securing the Business In The Community Big Tick award for the tenth year in succession.
Business In The Community has been established as the leading organisation that promotes Corporate Responsibility best practice, and it has confirmed that Phoenix has been awarded the organisation’s national Big Tick award for excellence in corporate social responsibility more times than any other business in the United Kingdom.
The award recognised the approach that Phoenix has taken in making a difference throughout the local communities where it operates and it has placed this as a core objective within the business.
This achievement has been gained through the undoubted dedication and hard work of all Phoenix employees.
Phoenix developed a fully integrated approach to CR through an overarching program called LIFE, which stands for ‘Leadership in the marketplace, Investing in our people, Fostering our community and Environmental responsibility’. LIFE has been developed to provide a focus for the range of initiatives carried out by Phoenix that positively impact the marketplace, workplace, environment and community.
The LIFE program is managed by a LIFE Committee, made up of managers and employees from a range of departments and levels throughout the business, including finance, engineering, communications and human resources. The committee reports directly to the CEO, and has responsibility for identifying CR initiatives that meet with overall business objectives, implementing programs and reporting on their impact in local communities, and setting Key Performance Indicators for each programme implemented. This structured approached has ensured that integrated CR practices are endorsed at every level and actually underpin the main objectives of the business.
Phoenix has many different strands to its CR strategy. However, it has centred its main activities in the following areas:
Health & Wellbeing
Ensuring Phoenix takes the lead as a responsible business with the development of staff as well as health and wellbeing being lead priorities in all that we do.
Education
Supporting young people and providing them with help to reach their potential goals in life through sponsorships and associations with youth sport academies, arts organisations, direct intervention, apprenticeships and internships.
Environment
Improving the environment by removing and reducing the dependency of homes and businesses on fossil fuels, sharing energy efficiency advice with consumers and promoting environmental awareness both internally and externally.
Local Community
Phoenix operates in the local communities in Northern Ireland daily and it is important that it develops trust between the communities that it serves and the companies within the gas industry.
Phoenix’s investment in CSR is a long-term one, put in place strategically to benefit both the organisation and the local communities that it serves. The financial resources attributed to Phoenix LIFE are far outweighed by the voluntary effort, commitment and time given by staff to maximise the impact of all initiatives pursued.
Chief Executive of the Utility Regulator, Jenny Pyper, visited Phoenix in recognition of their achievement in attaining their tenth Big Tick award.
She commented: “As a new member of Business in the Community, we congratulate Phoenix on its sustained commitment to corporate social responsibility over the last ten years. Many of our utility companies have recognised the value and importance of corporate social responsibility by joining Business in the Community and I felt it was important that the Utility Regulator also demonstrated its support. By committing to corporate social responsibility we are all making a positive difference to local communities across Northern Ireland.”
Phoenix Group
197 Airport Road West
Belfast, BT3 9ED
Tel: 08454 55 55 55
Web: www.phoenixgroupni.com
