Ethical, environmental and social issues have never been higher on the public agenda. And rightly so. That places a strong ethical and moral obligation on businesses to operate in a way that’s as sustainable as possible. Not just because it’s the right thing to do by public opinion. But because it’s the right thing to do for the planet and for society. It’s the right thing to do full stop.

That’s where corporate social responsibility comes in. Think of it as a set of principles that help to govern the way a business operates in relation to social, environmental and ethical issues – beyond what’s required by law. At its best CSR is a mechanism that empowers organisations to enact positive change. And according to research from PwC, 64% of chief executives believe CSR is central to their business.

At PG Mutual we are using our CSR to drive the future of our organisation. Here’s a summary of our plans for 2022.

Supporting the environment

Our priority for 2022 is to dramatically reduce our paper communications. To make sure we hit our ambitions we have built a new online Member Area that enables us to engage with our policyholders and share important documents, without the need for postal correspondence. As well as working to minimise our carbon emissions, we are supporting the Woodland Trust’s tree-planting scheme to offset our carbon footprint.  We are also planning to support a charity who are restoring our old laptops and donating them to school children.

Supporting our community

2021 saw the launch of our Annual Charity Awards. The premise is simple. Each year we throw the spotlight on a selection of charities whose inspiring work has captured our imagination. Four of those charities will also receive £1,000 from us, as voted by PG Mutual policyholders and the wider public. The awards will be taking place again this year.

We also have a long and fruitful association with the Junior Phab Club, a charity near our St Albans office that supports disabled and non-disabled children, young people and adults. Their ethos is to empower their members to make more of life together – breaking down community barriers, reducing social isolation and creating opportunities to enjoy the same activities and challenges side by side.

Supporting our members

Our core function as an organisation is to provide income support for policyholders when they are unable to work due to illness or injury. But we want to inspire our members with a suite of benefits that goes beyond our central raison d’être. Those currently include the provision of free access to the Member Wellbeing Counselling services, round-the-clock access to a GP via the GP24 app and a Benenden Health Assessment. We will be looking to add further member benefits throughout 2022.

Supporting our staff

As with many organisations, COVID-19 hastened our adoption of a hybrid working model – where we give staff the choice of working from home, our office or a blend of the two. As part of this model we make sure each member of our team has all of the equipment they need to work from home safely and productively. We also encourage our staff to get involved with their choice of charitable work through our Employer-Supported Volunteering scheme. Because it feels good to give back to the community.

Go deeper

You can find out more about our CSR activities on our website at pgmutual.co.uk/csr-pathway.