CSR Policy

Introduction

Keystream’s Corporate Social Responsibility (the policy CSR) policy sets out how we aim to ensure that our activities positively affect society as a whole.  The policy demonstrates our commitment to work ethically, considering human rights as well as the social, economic and environmental impact of our business.  The policy explains how we meet legislation and industry best practice as well as how we proactively aim to contribute to society through charity activity.
We are committed to ensuring that our business is conducted as ethically as possible by following the policy below.

1.    Compliance

Keystream is committed to complying with all legal and industry regulations affecting our business as follows:
•    Keystream will comply with the law
•    Honour our internal policies
•    Ensure that our business operations are legitimate
•    Ensure that our business operations follow industry best practice
•    Keep our partnerships collaborative, open and transparent
•    Follow all guidelines and regulations as set out by the Crown Commercial Supplier frameworks
In addition, we are committed to conducting business in an ethical manner which respects human rights.  We adhere to practices that:
•    Prioritise health and safety
•    Respect our clients, contractors and candidates
•    Follow anti-bribery & anti-corruption regulations
•    Promote equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion
•    Are in line with the highest industry standards as set out by the REC and APSCo codes of conduct

2.  Environmental responsibility

Keystream recognises the detrimental affect that businesses can have on the environment and makes every effort to minimise our carbon footprint and promote sustainability practices.  As part of our commitment to preserving the environment we:
•    Actively promote recycling initiatives, both at work and outside of the office
•    Promote the use of pubic transport and ensure staff use public transport wherever possible when travelling on business
•    Include a cycle to work scheme in our benefits package offering tax free cycle purchase and space to store cycles at work
•    Minimise energy and water consumption within the office
•    Prefer suppliers who are committed to reducing their environmental impact where possible

3.  Proactive activities

Keystream believes in giving back to the wider community and has a CSR programme in place to enable employees to spend time raising money and volunteering for charitable organisations.  The programme is managed by an internal CSR project team, who co-ordinate all activities and fundraising.
Charity fundraising:
Keystream supports various organisations each year selected by our teams, which have included:
•    Raising £13,000 for Marie Curie in 2019. The charity voted for 2020 is MIND.
•    Activities included bucket collections at London stations, sponsored 10k run, sponsored Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge.
•    In 2021, we are volunteering for Radical Recruit, providing one to one workshops on interview and CV preparation for marginalised people, e.g. ex-convicts, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and ex-addicts.

Volunteering:
•    Employees are given up to 2 days to use for volunteering activities
•    The company makes every effort to accommodate personal volunteering activities with flexible hours

In terms of local community, Keystream Group lives its values by providing free support to jobseekers from the local communities in terms of acquiring job market skills.  This includes providing individual help with:
•    Focused job search activity.
•    CV writing.
•    Interview techniques.
•    Career advice & guidance.

It is our objective to ensure that charitable donations, contributions or sponsorships genuinely benefit the causes to which they are given and that funds are not misappropriated or interpreted as bribery.  As a company we will carry out due diligence to ensure that the recipients of any donations, contributions or sponsorships are bona fide and that the funding will be used for the purpose that it is intended.  We will do this by ensuring that:
•    Donations are only made to registered charities or that the recipients of any other donations are researched to ensure that they are legitimate and the beneficiary (be that an individual, company or charity) is identified and approved in advance unless otherwise approved by the Directors and Finance Manager.
•    An audit trail is maintained of all donations and sponsorships made by Keystream Group to enable them to be monitored to ensure funds are being used as agreed.

4.  Looking after employees

We recognise that, to retain staff and build loyalty, it is essential to provide a good working environment and put in place processes to look after, support and develop our staff.  Keystream is committed to the following:
•    Adherence to all employee rights legislation, including the Modern Slavery Act
•    Adherence to all Health & Safety legislation and best practice
•    Actively promoting a culture that embraces diversity, both within our own business and for our clients
•    Providing and investing in training and development initiatives to support career development
•    Clear internal communication
•    HR policies and a HR Manager to support staff.  Clear procedures for grievances and handling of complaints
•    Promoting a healthy lifestyle & mental health, for example through our charity activities involving physical activity and our involvement with Mind charity
•    A social calendar to encourage team building outside of the office
•    Collation of regular feedback from staff through anonymous satisfaction surveys

5.  Looking after clients and candidates

We treat our contractor network ethically and with respect at all times.  We have clear processes to ensure that payment is prompt and all compliance dealt with effectively and efficiently.
As members of the REC and APSCo we abide by their code of conduct / good practice and meet all legislative and best practice standards.

6.  Measurement

The impact of our CSR programme is/will be measured by:
•    Amount of money raised for charity
•    Number of employees engaging with our volunteering scheme, and number of volunteer days given
•    Satisfaction scores through our employee feedback surveys
•    Track progress of staff through personal development plans

7.   Worker Pay & Compliance with IR35 and IETPA Legislation

•    All employees, contractors and temporary workers will be issued with a contract of employment prior to commencing employment.  This will include information relating to pay, working hours (WTR) and other prevailing legislation such as AWR.
•    All employees, contractors and temporary workers will be provided with a payslip after each payroll which will provide a full breakdown of the wage/pay rate, hours worked where applicable, holiday pay, pension contributions, all deductions, gross pay and net pay to ensure transparency of their “take home pay”.
•    Contractors and temporary workers will be provided with an Agency Workers Handbook which details pay rates, timesheet processes, details of AWR and IR35 legislation and compliance processes and off-payroll working.
•    For clarity, when taking a vacancy from any client, we will establish from them whether the role is “in or out of scope” of the IR35 regulations.  For roles that are “in scope”, we will deduct tax and NI at source in line with current legislation.