Travis Perkins, one of our Strategic Partners, explains why doing the right thing should be a priority in the workplace and the initiatives they have developed to encourage employees to ‘Speak Up’.
As a leading partner to the construction industry, we at Travis Perkins plc see it as our responsibility to “Do the Right Thing”. This means behaving responsibly and ethically, guided by our company policies, procedures and Code of Conduct. This covers safety, wellbeing, diversity, equity & inclusion and much more, and serves as a simple guide to the standards we should follow in how we conduct our business.
It is our duty, as a responsible employer, to make sure colleagues can ‘Speak Up’ if they’re concerned this code is not being followed.
That means encouraging and supporting colleagues to feel empowered to “Call it out” and “Stop, Step Back, Think. Then Act” when they see something that doesn’t look right, so we drive a culture where we behave, act and respond in a responsible and ethical way.
Whilst we all have a responsibility to call it out and speak to the relevant line manager, there are occasions when this may feel uncomfortable or inappropriate. When this is the case, colleagues are encouraged to use a Speak Up Hotline; an independent, externally provided hotline for colleagues who are concerned that the Group’s values, policies or Code of Conduct are not being followed.
All cases reported through this hotline are investigated and treated in confidence so colleagues can speak up without fear of reprisal. This enables the Group to root out issues related to poor culture and compliance and take subsequent action.
Speak Up has become an essential part of the Group’s governance framework. On the basis that the business occupies a unique position as a convener of customers and suppliers in the supply chain, the Group has extended the Speak Up hotline to them. This means that all customers and suppliers are invited to call out their concerns about where the Group might be falling short in their expectations of the business.
If you want to be part of the solution to build a better construction industry, please get in touch here.
