The Social or 'S' element of our ESG strategy concerns our people and the relationships that our business has with stakeholders and the communities in which we operate. At Air Partner we are focused on what we believe to be the four key pillars of developing this strategy.
To find out more about these, please click on the tabs below.
Our people are what makes Air Partner so extraordinary and our objective is to ensure that we continue to provide a safe environment where everyone is fulfilled and can reach their full potential. We want a diverse, inclusive and healthy workforce who live out our values of caring deeply, taking responsibility and working as one.
The following are just some examples of the ways in which we are seeking to provide opportunities for our people to develop and work in a fair organization:
Corporate Charity - The Charlie Waller Trust
We recognize that understanding and supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace is one of the most pressing challenges faced by employers and line managers today. The human cost of poor mental health, and the potential impact to businesses, is significant. Cases of stress, depression and anxiety are on the rise and the coronavirus pandemic has forced the world of work, and the ways in which we approach our working lives, to shift dramatically.
This is why we have selected to partner with The Charlie Waller Trust, who since being formed in 1997 have become one of the UK’s most respected mental health charities, improving awareness and understanding of mental wellbeing and providing the education and skills to build positive mental health.
Our partnership means the Air Partner Group has benefited from bespoke training to recognize and address mental health issues within individuals and teams. We understand that now more than ever, our people need a working environment which is encouraging and nurturing, allowing employees to speak freely about any mental health challenges they may be experiencing.
As well as supporting our own staff, our annual donation to The Charlie Waller Trust also helps to support young people to understand their own mental health, to equip them to support themselves and those around them, and to empower them to talk more openly about the subject. Much of the work undertaken with young people by the charity takes place in partnership with those with responsibility for young people - families, schools, colleges and universities.
Charitable Partnerships
We understand that charitable giving, both through financial support as well as enabling staff time dedicated to volunteering, has huge benefits for our people both while at work and also in our personal lives.
Corporately, we support two key charities in any given period alongside more ad hoc donations, often linked to staff events. Our corporate charities were selected through staff consultation and on the basis that they are a good strategic fit to the Air Partner Group in enabling us to deliver against our wider ESG objectives while returning a positive contribution to the charities concerned:
Corporate Charity – The Hygiene Bank
The Hygiene Bank is a grassroots, people-powered charity and social movement, grounded in community, and given the current global financial crisis, we felt this would be an extremely worthwhile cause. The Hygiene Bank’s passion stems from the injustice that people may be unable to fully participate in society due to hygiene poverty. This is why we are working to support the charity and inspire social change. The Hygiene Bank believes it is not right that feeling clean should be a luxury or a privilege for anyone in our society, yet many are living in poverty and cannot afford to stay clean.
The partnership with The Hygiene Bank is a key step in delivering our ESG Strategy and demonstrating our commitment to promoting positive change across the group. The partnership will help support Air Partner’s employees in adopting responsible behaviors and taking actions to protect the most vulnerable within our society.
Other Charitable Partnerships
In addition to the corporate support offered to our chosen partner charities, we also recognise the importance of our people having the ability to shape and decide upon more localised charitable support. To help facilitate this process we have established the Charity and Social working group which exists to develop and promote charitable fundraising inside and outside of the workplace to bring to life ideas to improve communication and inclusion across the group through social activities. The working group seeks to lead on the response to charitable giving as well as arranging social activities. Here are just some examples of this localised giving:
German Flooding Response
Like many others, the Air Partner Group were very concerned by the flooding scenes reported from Western Europe over the Summer of 2021 which included some areas around our office in Cologne area. Whilst our staff were thankfully safe, some of their family and friends have been impacted, from flooded basements, to the complete loss of homes and businesses.
The response from a number of the Air Partner team based in Germany was incredible with staff supporting the local clear up efforts by volunteering their time, noting first-hand the devastation to communities, Christian Judick, Team Leader for Group Charter commented "It is even worse than the media is portraying and it will take an eternity to rebuild the region, the full extent of the destruction is not yet foreseeable. As a result, many people are left with nothing and urgently need help". The Air Partner Group have pledged financial support on two occasions since the flooding to help with the clear up efforts.
Foodbank Support
Since 2020, the Air Partner Group have provided financial support to 4 food banks in key locations where the business has a number of offices. Food banks in Germany, the USA and 2 UK sites benefitted from the donations as we support efforts to fight hunger and food waste. The Air Partner Group is pleased to help these charities to deliver more healthy, nutritious food to community groups, activity schemes and schools supporting the UK’s most vulnerable children during this crisis. Several employees were able to take part in a day of volunteering, helping to sort and pack food at the warehouse and load up the lorries ready for the packages to be delivered to frontline charities feeding people in need.
Crawley Hospital
The difficulties faced by the health sector as a result of the pandemic have been well documented and the importance of a space to find some peace and quiet for staff working in busy hospital environments cannot be underestimated. As such in October 2021, the Air Partner Group made a donation to help Crawley Hospital purchase some much needed plants for a garden and courtyard area. Unfortunately as a result of Covid and volunteers not being able to return to the hospital and the garden has really suffered and was in need of a makeover. The Friends of Crawley Hospital (close to our Gatwick HQ offices) have now returned and our donation has meant that they could buy some much needed plants and colour for the benefit of staff and patients. Our CEO, Mark Briffa was pleased to visit the site and present the donation.
