Rachel Eden is our new Mayor of Reading. In this interview, discover what the role of Mayor entails and Rachel's main aims for her time as Mayor. We explore the values that underpin Rachel in her many roles: Councillor, Businesswoman, mother and now Mayor. Rachel leaves us with a valuable take-away of how she stays serene with a very full-filled diary! A great listen.
#rdguk #valuesmatter #sustainability #businessculture #ethicsinaction #businessethics #wellbeing #mayor #leadership
Our very own volunteer, Caroline Gratrix has been supporting Ethical Reading since we launched, as our official people and event photographer. Caroline shares her passion for capturing people looking happy and natural, she set up her successful company VIVA photography and has not looked back since! Caroline shares her excitement and pride in making Reading a better place to live and work. We are delighted to have Caroline on our team!
#rdguk #EthicsInAction #volunteers #photography #sustainability #workplacewellbeing #networking #connecting #businessethics #businessculture #events
Our very own ER volunteer and sustainability lead, Kathryn McCann, guides us through one of our most loved ER initiatives: Trees for Reading (TfR). She leads us through how it started, the benefits of trees in town, the project’s instant success and the situation post covid. At the end, Kathryn shares a heart-warming story about one particularly meaningful tree planted outside the Town Hall. Great work Kathryn!
#TreesForReading #sustainability #rdguk #urbantrees #treeplanting #sustainability #ethicsinaction #ethicsinactionenablers #environment #treecare #sustainable #businessethics #businessculture #trees
Chris Williams tells the remarkable story of the family-owned Jennings Business Park and its unique values regarding tenants, with community at its heart. Since 2018 it’s been on a transformational sustainability journey to becoming a B-Corp with a roadmap to be Carbon-negative by 2030 – not just Jennings itself, the whole business park! Visionary stuff, well worth a listen.
#sustainability #carbonnegative #sustainablebusiness #business #EnviornmentalSustainability #EthicalBusiness
Kimmy of Style Nation, a successful, award-winning hairdressing business in Reading, found a natural fit with the Reading Ethical Recruitment Charter. In her recruitment practices, Kimmy looks for people with passion and creativity with the values of honesty, integrity, fairness and, of course, exceptional customer service. Kimmy shares her journey as an entrepreneur and the ingredients for her success.
#businessethics #ethicalrecruitment #EthicsInAction #valuesmatter #customerservice #entrepreneur
Reading Ethical Recruitment Charter Series: Rapid Personnel was set up as an alternative to exploitative recruitment agencies using unscrupulous practices. 20 years on and many sector challenges later, Rapid Personnel is a well proven successful business model. Treating their people well results in a happy workforce who do good work for their client organisations. Simon tells us about their innovative approach to staff retention and the resulting high fulfilment levels. A great listen.
#businessethics #recruitment #EthicsInAction
Adele had a unique role as instigator of the Reading Ethical Recruitment Charter. She was told of several cases of totally unacceptable practices by employers in the recruitment process and saw red! She took action, teamed up with Antoine de Vazelhes of Ethical Reading and James Parkin of Eximius Recruitment. Now with a role involving recruitment herself, Adele uses the RERC as a guide in the recruitment process reaping the rewards of finding the best employees for the job in a way that is fair, transparent and respectful. An inspiring and informative listen!
#businessethics #recruitment #rdguk #ethicalrecruitment #EthicsInActionEnablers #EthicsInAction #EthicalRdg #recruitmentadvice #EthicalBusiness #businessculture #HR
Tim was pressured at work to overlook large-scale financial impropriety, he refused and left. This led him to start Work in Confidence, a system where employees can raise a workplace problem, concern or idea anonymously. Tim gives us fascinating insights into how this system can save issues in organisations from escalating in the wrong direction. A very interesting listen!
#speakup #workinconfidence #employeeengagement #wellbeing #rdguk #EthicsInAction
Earth51 based in Reading, led by Akhil Handa, is dedicated to the rapid transition of environmental sustainability placed at the core of their client businesses' purpose and practice - for ongoing profit and planetary survival. Many businesses, large and small, see the issues at hand and lack the knowledge, tools and confidence to take the required action. Earth51 bridges that gap by educating leaders of today and tomorrow within organizations on why the transition is necessary and how it’s done. Akhil shares some great success stories. The next 2 years are critical as early adopters taking action now reap great business benefits in addition to doing the right thing, while investments decline for those without a sustainability agenda at their core.
Join us for this powerful, inspiring interview!
Contact Akhil Handa at
https//Earth51.com
Tags: #Business, #Environmental Sustainability, #Business sustainability, #Ethical Business, #Women in Leadership, #Women in STEM
Jenni Montgomery of Barton Wilmore shares her views about the Property Development industry and its reputation. She gives an overview of the Government's proposals to overhaul planning and construction processes in the UK with some potential opportunities - and challenges the proposed changes may present. Jenni talks about the Reading 2050 Vision and the importance of having big vision plans as a guidance system in Reading's development. She discusses the significance of changes to town centres, considerations for climate change and a current project, a tool 'Greenkeeper' which puts a monetary value on the unquantifiable health and well-being benefits of green spaces in our cities.
Sean Taylor, CEO of Redwood Technologies takes us on the journey from local start-up to multi-million-dollar turnover international business, a great local success story! Sean outlines how values have been at the core of all they do, eliciting extraordinary support from customers and suppliers while supporting local business communities and charities. As the business has grown, Sean talks about the challenges of scaling up the culture internationally. An inspiring listen!
Richard Baker of EY talks about the core values of the business, the local effects of Covid-19 on the business sector and shares his concerns for employees working remotely. He reflects on the wider challenges faced by auditing firms and that he sees a recent great shift to investors looking to invest in responsible businesses with a good reputation for ethical practices. Richard believes this will drive change for good overall.
Shan Beerstecher of AND Digital guides us through their unique, motivational employee experience and customer proposition that is an award-winning formula. Shan's leadership is founded on the principles of Ubuntu (that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us).
Linka:
Paul Hargreaves of Cotswold Fayre, now a highly values driven, successful, quality food distribution business shares how it wasn’t always like that. With candid stories of challenges they’ve faced and overcome along the way to becoming a B-Corporation and carbon neutral, Paul gives us deep insight into how having strong values has got the business through tough times to the thriving business it is today.
Tags: Business Ethics, Business, Ethical Reading, Leadership, Social Purpose, Environment, Carbon Neutral, B-Corporation Ambassador
Links:
Contact Paul Hargreaves at www.paulhargreaves.co.uk
Paul’s book ‘Forces For Good: Creating a better world through purpose-driven businesses’ comes in paperback, e-book, and Audible versions here https://amzn.to/32ABueG and the audible book is also on I-tunes https://apple.co/3etjKqJ a great Christmas gift idea for friends, family or your employees 😊
Ethical Reading: https://www.ethicalreading.org.uk
Yasmina Siadatan’s values have been central to her work life from winning Series 5 of The Apprentice, running a successful restaurant in Caversham, with the Start-Up Loans scheme and to her present-day role with Dynamic Planner. She emphatically lays out the benefits of being a values-based business, shares success stories and is clear about the main challenges currently faced in business.
Tags: Business Ethics, Business Values, Ethical Reading, Leadership, The Apprentice
Links
Contact Yasmina through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmina-siadatan-706b4814/
Ethical Reading: https://www.ethicalreading.org.uk
James Parkin of Eximius guides us through ethical recruitment: common challenges and pitfalls for employers as well as success stories. We hear why the Reading Ethical Recruitment Charter came about and how the public sector (RBC), the business sector and Ethical Reading representing the charity sector, collaborated on the Charter to protect job applicant from abuses like unpaid trial shifts and ‘ghosting’. James puts out a powerful call for us all to engage with and support this initiative and urges Reading businesses to sign up to the Reading Ethical Recruitment Charter, needed now more than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and increased unemployment.
Tags: Business Ethics, Business, Ethical Recruitment, Recruitment, Ethical Reading, RBC, Leadership, Employment, Job applicants
Links
Contact James through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=James%20Parkin&origin=GLOBAL_SEARCH_HEADER
The RER Charter landing page: https://www.ethicalreading.org.uk/programmes/business-ethics-and-culture/ethical-recruitment/
The ethical recruitment petition page: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/550276
Ethical Reading: https://www.ethicalreading.org.uk
Show notes for Jim Rogers of Grant Thornton, ’Ethics in Action: Business Stories’ Series
Jim Rogers, Practice Lead for Grant Thornton (GT) Thames Valley and Southampton, guides us through the key values of GT, how they led to a seamless transition to working from home during lock-down with COVID-19 and the firm’s loyalty to its workforce. We have a tour of GT's local initiatives that have wide-ranging social impacts. Jim explains why he was a great supporter of Ethical Reading from the start.
Jim Rogers Links:
Email: jim.n.rogers@uk.gt.com
Ethical Reading Links:
Tags: Business Culture; Business Values; Collaboration; Diversity; Ethical Business; Leadership; Post Covid-19; Social impact; Sustainability; Teams; Women in Business; Workplace Well-being;
Jason shares his story from thinking he had it all to losing everything - how he came back up from rock bottom with extraordinary new understandings of mental health and a powerful mission to help others.
Links: Jason’s website
WARNING These recordings talk about suicide. If you are worried about someone who is feeling suicidal, or you believe is in immediate danger, please visit: Samaritans
Interview with Virgin COO link
#Ethical Reading #World Mental Health Day 2020 #Mental Health #Workplace Mental Health #Mental Wellbeing #Mental Health in Business #Redundancy #Bereavement #Workplace Mental Health Services #Speaker #Coaching
Discover Margaret’s journey in the corporate world and life in UK after a stellar career in Zimbabwe. Learn about her passion for people development and her roles within Ethical Reading.
Learn why Antoine believes it is important that businesses have an ethical DNA and what the beyond profit culture is, his involvement with the Reading Ethical Recruitment charter and his interesting and varied background.
