Putting the S in ESG at Tersus: our Social Value commitments for 2023

As organisations today are defined by their impact on the world, implementing an effective ESG strategy has the potential to greatly enhance a company's performance. Customers, investors and stakeholders are increasingly seeking out companies that prioritise sustainability, social responsibility, and ethics.

Focusing on the social responsibility part of ESG, it’s important to us at Tersus, WCS Group and Marlowe PLC, that we support our people, our clients, and the communities in which we live and work. We want to make a real difference and create a better world for everyone; this has been recognised by UKATA who have shortlisted Tersus as finalists for the Contribution to the Community Award. The winners will be announced at the UKATA 15th Anniversary Excellence Awards on Friday 7th July 2023; you can read more about this event here. 

The S in ESG

The S in ESG addresses how a company manages its relations with its customers, employees, and the communities in which it operates. 

At Tersus, we are committed to maximising our long-term positive contribution to society and its resources. We do this by offering our clients a sustainable, compliant, reliable, and safe service.

We also recognise that our responsibility to positively impact the world around us goes beyond just providing a great service to our clients. We can also positively impact our own people and the wider community.

A word on our values

At Tersus, our values shape the way our people think and behave:

• Respect - We work hard to build trust and respect throughout our organisation.
• Integrity - We always strive to do the right thing for our workers and our customers. 
• Accountability - We are open and honest with each other and our customers. We are always learning and improving.
• Reliability - We are dependable. We always keep our promises.

Living up to these values day after day, week after week, are fundamental to the solutions we deliver and are at the core of our commitment to our customers, employees and wider communities.

Our commitment to our customers

We are committed to giving our clients a service that is sustainable, compliant, reliable and safe. We aim to deliver our service with integrity and respect. We want to help our customers to better manage their risks, reduce their costs and improve their impact on the environment.

We do all this through the services we provide, from asbestos testing and inspection to CDM, health and safety, fire, and Legionella services.

Our commitment to our people

Our team is our biggest asset. We recruit people who always strive to do the right thing, are confident and empathetic and excel in customer service.

Wellbeing

Taking care of our people is a priority, and we offer a range of benefits to support them both inside and outside of work. We also have mental health first aiders who can provide support for people experiencing mental health issues.

Training

We are committed to offering our people real career and development opportunities. We deliver a broad range of courses for our employees and customers in-house, including asbestos, petroleum, working at height, construction and workplace health and safety training. 

The WCS Group Training Academy in Redditch offers a range of courses to give staff the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to provide excellent service, from asbestos to water hygiene and air quality. The courses, designed by industry-leading experts, are delivered on-site or virtually to ensure smooth knowledge transfer to real-world applications.

Investors in People

In 2021, Tersus achieved Silver Level Investors in People (IIP) status. IIP is an independent workplace engagement specialist, and an IIP award demonstrates a company’s commitment to staff development and performance, focusing specifically on how employees are managed, looked after, and progressed. The IIP report said, “(Tersus has) …done a fantastic job, when looking at how you develop your people approaches and business operating practices to meet the needs of a rapidly growing business.” By 2025, we aim to be accredited to Gold Level.

Armed Forces Policy

In addition, WCS Group has achieved Silver Award status with the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly. We seek to encourage new employment paths and opportunities within our organisation for serving personnel, veterans and military family members. 

In 2022, Tersus recruited an ex-serviceman as a Trainee Surveyor/Analyst from the community local to one of our major renewable energy contracts. He has successfully obtained his BOHS P402, P403 and P404 qualifications and is now working on one of the largest nuclear decommissioning projects in the UK.

This year, we are going for Gold. You can pledge your support at https://hubs.ly/Q01BPcFY0 or email us at info@wcs-group.co.uk and we can help you get involved.

Our commitment to the wider community

To be an industry leader, we must be community focused. We regularly partner with charities and community services that are linked to our core values and areas of expertise. We’re particularly interested in supporting initiatives focused on supporting children and families, the homeless and other disadvantaged groups.

Some of the charities and community service organisations we’ve donated to in the last 12 months include:

• Midlands Langar Seva Society
• St Margaret’s Hospice
• Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank
• Fulham Good Neighbours 
• Shepherds Bush Families Project and Children's Centre
• Variety, the Children’s Charity
• Cambridge Cyrenians
• Caxton House Community Centre
• The Margins Project
• Whittington Park Community Association
• Southern Housing Association/Optivo

In the last year, we’ve also taken part in a number of charity events, including sponsoring a golf event to raise money for St Margaret’s Hospice and a clay pigeon shooting experience for the charity Fresh Visions, which supports children and young adults who face extreme disadvantage as a result of poverty, domestic abuse and social exclusion. Collaboration is important to us, and we like to get involved with our clients and their supply chain to support their causes too.

In October 2022, Tersus received an On-Call Charter Award from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service to offer thanks and recognise the commitment from Tersus. Our Key Account Manager, James Cherry, can be on-call during his normal working day, making him available to respond to a range of emergencies as an On-all Firefighter in his local community.

Summary

Implementing an effective ESG strategy is becoming increasingly important for companies. At Tersus, WCS Group and Marlowe, we are committed to delivering a sustainable, compliant, reliable, and safe service to our customers, offering real career and development opportunities to our people, and supporting the wider community through charitable donations and initiatives. By living up to our values and commitments, we aim to create a better world for everyone.