Digital Planning is now accredited under the Good Business Charter – the independent standard for business ethics and responsibility.
GBC accreditation sees UK organisations of all sizes work through a 10-stage test in order gain recognition of their responsible business practices. They are then listed in the public GBC Directory.
Among the more than 1,000 accredited organisations are FTSE100 companies, partnerships, local authorities, universities, SMEs, charities, and sole traders.
Each signatory business has committed to:
- Paying directly employed and regularly contracted staff the Real Living Wage.
- Only using zero or minimal hours contracts when it is mutually beneficial and accepted by both the employer and the employee.
- Actively supporting and encouraging employee wellbeing.
- Having a system whereby every employee can make suggestions or raise issues with management.
- Encouraging diversity at key stages of recruitment, selection, and retention of employees, and preventing harassment or victimisation in the workplace.
- Caring about the environment and encouraging the development of good environmental practice as an organisation.
- Paying taxes where applicable and being transparent in their relationship with HMRC.
- Addressing and learning from stakeholder feedback – seeking to put negative issues right.
- Committing to ethical sourcing of anything they purchase.
- Paying suppliers promptly, and within 30 days at most.
The GBC framework was founded by retailer Julian Richer, the founder of Richer Sounds, in 2020 to clearly signpost clients towards organisations which commit to responsible business practices.
Research shows that 53% of people favour brands doing good in the world. Many believe in a fairer society and want to work for and purchase from organisations that are ethical and responsible.
However, 55% of people say they cannot tell the difference between those acting responsibly and those who are not. The Good Business Charter addresses this by providing a clear accreditation for all stakeholders, recognising those businesses which operate responsibly.
James Ferraby, Co-Director of Digital Planning, said: “Having been trained and had businesses in the sound engineering and live music industries, we’ve been interested in Julian Richer’s company and his approach to doing business for some time.
“At Digital Planning, we always look to treat people as we would want to be treated ourselves, whether that’s paying them properly and promptly or encouraging their development and career progression.
“Good Business Charter presents a simple way for us to benchmark our processes against a top-level 10 point system that aligns us with the best of the UK’s ethical companies.”
Digital Planning is an award-winning Loughborough-based AI and digital automation consultancy offering fully in-house, end-to-end business automation solutions. Its research-led new technology and innovation solutions enable businesses to allocate resources and achieve their objectives productively.
