Corporate social responsibility at SECOM
At SECOM we understand the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR). As a market leader in security, we want to light the way in being accountable for our actions as a business. This is demonstrated through our commitment to our own values, our stakeholders’ beliefs and our customers’ high standards.
Positive corporate citizenship requires a proactive approach to social, economic and environmental issues. This begins with being a responsible employer and extends out to the wider community to ensure we are making a beneficial impact wherever we operate. CSR is at the heart of everything we do.
Protecting people
We are in the security industry, so keeping people safe is what we do. We have provided personal safety alarms to a wide variety of groups from lone workers to Girl Guides. These discreet devices may be small enough to fit on a keyring but make a loud enough noise to be a convincing deterrent. Just carrying one offers a greater sense of security and confidence in public.
SECOM has been working with Child Safety Media on its Junior Citizen Child Safety programme. This initiative aims to teach children aged 10 to 11 years old about a wide range of common dangers. These include hazards as diverse as gas and electricity, railways, and drugs. The interactive safety workshops cover many topics and issues that are not included in the curriculum.
They also advise on the actions to take in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or being in difficulty in the water. Demonstrations on making a 999 call also offer valuable insight into staying calm and what information the caller is expected to provide. As well as a certificate to demonstrate participation, each of the children also receives an information booklet to use as reference in the future.
During the pandemic, SECOM tackled loneliness in the elderly, calling each of its CareTech customers on Christmas Day to wish them the best for the festive period. We worked with our charity partner Independent Age to offer advice and support in combating loneliness and maintaining purpose in life.
SECOM encourages its employees to take part in wellbeing awareness events, such as World Mental Health Day, Bring Your Child to Work Day and International Women’s Day. These occasions represent an important opportunity to take stock of the issues that are important to our colleagues and pull together as a community of dedicated workers.
Fundraising for charity
When it comes to fundraising for charity, we have adopted a multi-pronged approach. Not only does SECOM get involved with local and national events, but we also hold our own charity days and activities to spread awareness of important causes and raise valuable funds. They say that charity begins at home and our committee selects organisations that have a particular link to our employees and the issues that have affected them.
Over the years SECOM has supported and continues to support charities in a wide range of areas. They include:
- Victim Support
- Great Ormond Street Hospital
- Comic Relief
- Children in Need
- Jeans for Genes
- Macmillan Cancer Support
We sponsor events, hold raffles, stage dress down days, organise charity cake and book sales, compete in quizzes and run corporate activities in honour of deserving causes.
Our annual Christmas fundraising raffle featuring prizes donated by SECOM and our suppliers always draws lots of support. All of this as well as attending fundraisers held by others that benefit worthy causes.
Last Christmas we held an open house lunch and raffle to fundraise for Victim Support. The charity shares our company ethos: ensuring people are and feel safe, and to help build a life after crime. We raised an amazing £2370 and some lucky employees won some fantastic prizes.
SECOM was delighted to be invited to the annual Whitbread Premier Inn and Restaurant GOSH charity event on 28th September 2022 to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, which we have supported for many years.
Our contributions have helped with the progress of several projects at the hospital in London. The finale to the day was a Gala Dinner where everyone was encouraged to bid for prizes, along with a bingo competition, contributing as much as possible to this incredible charity.
Respecting the environment
Our fleet of almost 400 vehicles is essential for fitting and servicing security
and fire safety systems. As part of our drive to become more sustainable,
we are transitioning to self-charging hybrid vehicles from Toyota.
Without cutting down on performance, these cars and vans switch
seamlessly between electric power and petrol.
The innovative self-charging hybrid battery is topped up when braking or coasting, preventing the need to plug it in. Moving to hybrid technology means you can be sure your SECOM engineer is travelling to you in a more environmentally friendly fashion and contributing to a greener future.
We have also committed to cutting down on unnecessary journeys, with the introduction of our remote resolution team. SECOM saved 248 tonnes of CO2 emissions from our vehicles in 2022 by servicing and resolving issues with customers’ systems remotely.
Overall, we have cut 24.5 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere by our fleet and 96.5 per cent of our vehicles are Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) compliant. At SECOM we are determined to build on these credentials in the future, making sustainable choices to benefit us all.
SECOM Training Academy
At SECOM, we have invested in developing our own engineers through our own Ofsted approved National Training and Development Centre of Excellence (NTDC).
The NTDC offers apprenticeships and up-skilling opportunities to SECOM staff, as well as differentiated teaching resources, audio-visual capability, and distance learning opportunities.
Our structured pathway ensures that apprentices can develop the skills, knowledge, and behaviour they need to succeed in the security industry. We are committed to training our staff to the highest standards and keeping them at the forefront of emerging technologies.
Case Studies
The charities SECOM have supported
