Severn Trent has published its first code of business principles and conduct.
The 12-page document aims to give ‘ethical direction’ to the utility company’s 15,000 employees.
It commits it to:
become a ‘good corporate citizen and take into account the concerns of the wider community’
‘respect the cultures’ of countries in which it operates
ensure that suppliers share its values
achieve a safe working environment for staff.
It also states that the company ‘recognizes that it is in the best interests of our shareholders to have regard for the views of important stakeholders such as customers, employees and local communities’.
The code has been issued publicly after a series of ‘discussion groups’ to help staff understand its underlying principles (EP6, 2000). It will be reviewed every two years.
In a separate initiative, The Co-operative Group has updated its code of business conduct to cover ethical trading and data protection.
The document, which has been re-worked following consultation with stakeholders, includes new provisions on how to counter the use of email as a means of harassment, and outlines a code of practice for suppliers.
It includes a section on its supply chain that commits the group to seek to ensure its commercial activities help to improve the living standards of people in developing countries.
The code has been sent to all 55,000 employees of the group, formed last year by the merger of the Co-operative Wholesale and Retail Societies.