Corporate and Social responsibility

“Customers care more than ever about how products are made. That level of concern is only going to rise as ethical factors figure more prominently in their choice of which brands to buy.” Stuart Rose – Marks & Spencer

Teamspirit is an integrated communications agency working exclusively in the financial and professional services sector. We develop creative communications solutions for our clients, who range from banks and building societies, to life & pensions and investment companies. We work collaboratively across the full range of integrated media, to create strategies, solutions and living ideas that really work. But we don’t just live and breathe ideas. We listen to clients and intermediaries, from heads of business to taxi drivers, so we can make those ideas live and breathe in the real world. One of the areas we are actively talking to clients about is the importance of integrating a clear corporate responsibility approach with their brand and communications. And we felt it was hypocritical to talk about this and not do it ourselves. So here are our guiding principles:

Clients
We are nothing without our clients. We retain the business of clients who respect and trust us, and they refer us to other businesses. That trust and respect are the product of the sound relationships we develop with them, and of the results we deliver to them through the medium of that relationship. We act with the utmost integrity towards our clients. Their interests come first, and we safeguard those fiercely.

• We commit ourselves to providing excellent service for our clients and we ask clients every year to review us and our performance
• Our challenge is to solve our clients’ problems and boost their profitability by developing and applying solutions based on good ideas and effective communications
• We tenaciously pursue new ideas and new solutions, keeping ahead of the market, developing new ideas and drawing our inspiration from many sources
• We will not work for clients that do not embrace the FSA’s ethos of ‘treating customers fairly’. And we prefer to work with like-minded businesses that value people, the environment and their responsibilities towards them.

Responsibility to our People
Our aim is simple – to attract and retain talented people, and to do our utmost to see that this talent is inspired to work effectively and collaboratively in pursuit of results for our clients.

• We seek to create a stimulating and supportive work environment where teamwork and collaboration are rewarded
  
  
• We champion diversity in our staff as we believe this provides a broad base from which good ideas are developed
  • 3% of staff are of ethnic origin
  • 6% of staff are from overseas
  • 46% are male and 54% female

• We pay our people competitively and reward good performance – we give a comprehensive benefits package of contributory pension, PMI and term assurance plus quarterly Profit-Related Performance rewards if certain business performance is reached.
  
  
• We provide and support opportunities for staff development and training – we have monthly insight sessions, communicate clearly about our plan and aim to give each employee at least two days of training a year
• 40% of our staff have been promoted or received a pay rise in the past 12 months
• 23% have been with the agency for three years or more
  
  
• We observe Codes of Conduct designed to protect employees from harassment or discrimination in any form
  We aim to be an Investors in People accredited employer in the next 12 months and accredited by Fit for Business
  

Responsibility to the Environment.
As a communications company, we are not a major polluter. However, we recognise that we do create an environmental impact and that we should aim to manage these impacts. Teamspirit is a carbon-neutral company. But we understand that reduction of carbon emissions is a continuous process. We want to pass on our knowledge of carbon reduction so that it may benefit our clients and stakeholders. So we seek to continually monitor, manage and reduce our output through the following actions and policies:
We measure our most significant environmental impacts: energy, travel, water and resource use
We set stretching but realistic targets to improve our environmental performance
We use recycled materials by preference
We look to minimize waste by reusing, recycling or other environmentally responsible methods of disposal
We endeavour to work with suppliers and partners who are carbon-neutral and/or concerned with the active reduction of carbon emissions
We offset the carbon emissions that we cannot reduce. We are proud to pass on our knowledge of carbon reduction and offsetting to benefit our clients and stakeholders
We incorporate a concern for the environment as an integral part of the creative process, sharing our ideas with our clients.

Responsibility in the Community
The most profound way in which we make a positive difference in our communities, and to the environment, is by providing innovative and creative communications solutions to our clients. But we recognise that we can go beyond this, and respond to such expectations where we can.

We are currently developing schemes which will have a positive impact on our community in the following ways:

• Employee volunteering – we will offer all our staff the equivalent of one day off a year to do volunteer work if they wish
• Team volunteering – we will run a community-based team challenge supporting a local cause
• We are active participants of Business in the Community
• Through Chime plc, corporate charitable donations are made each year, with over £23,000 being donated in 2006
  Chime is also committed to donating to a nominated charity in 2007 and each year going forward