Corporate Social Responsibility | LoveBiz Networking

Corporate Social Responsibility - LoveBiz Networking®

What is CSR?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about the impact an organisation makes on society, the environment and the economy.

Having an effective CSR programme contributes positively to all stakeholders as well as adding value for the organisation itself, ensuring it operates in a sustainable way.

This policy is applicable to the following stakeholders within the business:

Sue Crooks, founder.
Invested hosts, Payal Walker, Jacque Drain, Sue Godfrey and Julie Cameron.
LoveBiz Networking® members.
Suppliers - events and venue management.
Guests including speakers and potential members.

*All of the above are classed as stakeholders.

LoveBiz Networking® will engage with the stakeholders to ensure we are delivering our aim to be a positive CSR role model to our members by:

Working hard to add value by sharing CSR knowledge and experience.
Building upon existing charity work.
Exploring new areas of CSR that will drive the business to be as ethically and environmentally friendly as possible.

Our Values

LoveBiz Networking® is a friendly, welcoming networking group for women in business. The LoveBiz Networking® community is a place where friendships are forged, collaborations are born, and support is shared.

LoveBiz Networking® founder Sue Crooks has created a strong values driven company that recognises the important role it plays in making a positive impact on women’s lives - no matter who they are. The network helps members to feel energised and empowered to be the successful person they know they can be in both life as well as business.

The ethos of the network is that it is open to all women in business (with no single seat policy) so that members are free to collaborate with each other to break through the gender divide that still exists for many women in the UK and across the world.

Delivering our CSR

Working with our stakeholders, we intend to develop and deliver our CSR policy in the following ways:

Ensuring Good Governance

Creating this policy is the first step to a more formal adoption of CSR as part of our core structure and business practice.

We will undertake appropriate CSR actions that strengthen our organisation, and review and report on our CSR at our Host meetings to ensure it is effective and reflective of our stakeholder and environmental needs.

We will share our CSR policy and activity publicly to ensure transparency in everything we do.

We will work to go above and beyond compliance to all legal obligations related to our core function, and encourage our members to do the same within their own businesses. This includes;

Companies Act and Registering with HMRC.
Employment.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Health and Safety.
Fire Safety.
Insurance.
Data Protection.
Human Rights, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

Investing in People

We will work in consultation and partnership with our stakeholders to ensure that we are an accessible organisation that follows Equality, Diversity and Inclusion laws that lead to fair treatment, dignity and respect.

We will engage with our stakeholders to provide services that aim to be fully reflective of their needs.

Where practicable, LoveBiz Networking® will make ethical or environmentally friendly procurement choices that support local suppliers or voluntary and community sector organisations, promote Fairtrade or reduction of child labour, or use sustainably sourced materials.

We will connect with our wider community and use our influence to highlight opportunities where our committee, members and external stakeholders can contribute positively towards our society as a whole.

We will continue to use our events as a source of charitable fundraising, helping to support identified causes relevant to our members, speakers or general ethos of empowering women to overcome the barriers they face in becoming successful in business.

Protecting our Planet

LoveBiz Networking® recognises that it has an environmental impact on the following identified areas:

Energy - lighting, heating and cooling, electronics.
Waste - paper, general waste, food and drink (events).
Water - office space (kitchens and toilets).
Transport - commuting to and from work (if based in an office), travelling to and from member meetings and events.
Procurement - office materials, marketing materials, venues inc. event food and drink.

We will measure and monitor the impact that our organisation and associated activities are having on the environment, and implement changes that focus on mitigating our overall footprint.

We will make conscious decisions on our procurement, and work with venues to reduce meat consumption within food options, single use plastic and excess waste at our meetings and events.

We will encourage our committee and members to choose more sustainable transport options when attending our face to face events or visits. To perhaps car share and use public transport.

We will seek alternative environmentally friendly products in the day to day running of our activities and (home) office space. e.g. paper, energy supplier.

Measuring our Impact

Where possible we will report on our CSR impact monitoring against the targets set within the associated CSR action plan. We will communicate our results to our identified stakeholders and the public on a regular basis, and produce an annual report highlighting success, review and improvements going forward.

We will review the action plan throughout the year and remediate any identified issues to ensure we are achieving the highest level of customer satisfaction and impact.

Date produced: 14.06.2021

Sue Crooks - Founder and Managing Director

Date of review: 01.08.2022