Keep Britain Tidy – Winner 2021, Best Small Employer

A small charity with a big impact, Keep Britain Tidy has made changes across the organisation to make staff members feel supported and productive.

Maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental leave pay have all been enhanced. Fathers are given paid time off for antenatal appointments. There are five days of paid leave a year for those who need it due to their caring commitments. This enhanced Carers Leave Policy helps colleagues to fully support their family member, while not worrying about financial implications.

Flexible working can be arranged formally or on an ad hoc basis around individual circumstances. Working patterns include part-time, condensed hours, term-time only, reduced hours, job-share, an enhanced core hours scheme, which offers greater flexibility to support staff with caring responsibilities, time off in lieu, remote working and flexible start and finish times.

During the pandemic, all staff have been working from home and the hours of flexibility have been increased to accommodate caring responsibilities, meaning that the number of people working flexibly has doubled. All furloughed staff members have received 100% of their normal pay to protect their financial wellbeing throughout the duration of the pandemic.

As an example of changes made, one member of staff had to share home schooling responsibilities during the pandemic and the company arranged a working pattern for her around her caring commitments.

Managers work together with HR in providing support for staff members who work flexibly, with good communication being a key component.

The Executive team at the charity uses a variety of working patterns and this puts them in a strong position to understand the agile working needs of their team. Colleagues report a 71% satisfaction rate and there has been a reduction in staff turnover.

Keep Britain Tidy is committed to being a flexible and supportive employer. The charity likes to listen to colleagues to enable them to stay in work, reduce personal stress levels and support their families. It is working towards a new health and wellbeing policy and an employee assistance programme that will help staff members seek professional support.

Award sponsored by Independent Living Fund Scotland

Find out what the judges and sponsor had to say about Keep Britain Tidy – winner of the Best Small Employer Award.