Halo Service Solutions

CSR Policy

Halo Service Solutions Ltd Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

Introduction to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

CSR refers to the way in which businesses regulate themselves in order to ensure that all of their activities positively affect society as a whole. CSR policies aim to guarantee that companies work ethically, considering human rights as well as the social, economic and environmental impacts of what they do as a business. Businesses should meet, and aim to exceed, any relevant legislation, and if legislation does not exist in a particular area, the company should ensure they carry out best practices anyway.

Halo Service Solutions are committed to ensuring that any business undertakings are conducted as ethically as possible by following the below policy.

Organisation and Goals

Halo Service Solutions is one of the UK’s fastest growing software companies, based in Stowmarket, Suffolk. We operate in over 40 countries and have two satellite offices in Australia and the USA. Our aim is to provide best-in-class support software to service teams across sectors globally. We are an expert partner to some of the world’s leading organisations, deploying our out-of-the-box software in a way that supports their distinct business needs. Halo Service Solutions now offers three individual products rooted in sector best practise, supported by staff that are knowledgeable, straight talking and responsive. Our unique software and can-do attitude is a match for global giants, enabling us to build and maintain relationships that deliver 100% for both us and our clients.

CSR Causes and Projects

In order to ensure Halo Service Solutions projects are effective, the organisation has chosen to focus on specific efforts and causes:

  • Wellbeing and Equal Opportunities
  • Environmental Responsibility
  • Tackling Economic Inequality
  • COVID-19 Recovery

All CSR activity should fall under one of the above causes.

Halo Service Solutions may collaborate with any affiliates and/or subsidiaries of the organisation (as approved by the CSR team) to implement its CSR activities. They may also collaborate with any other company, trust or non-governmental organisation (NGO) as may be eligible and approved by the CSR Committee and management.

Fundraising and CSR Days

Halo Service Solutions commit to CSR activity both internal and external to the business. As part of this, the CSR team put together several events and fundraising drives throughout the year relevant to the aforementioned causes and projects. These are structured as follows:

  • Fundraising Drives:
    • Halo Service Solutions aims to raise £10,000 every year towards a charitable project or group under the umbrella of one of the aforementioned causes.
    • This drive is made up of multiple fundraising events over the course of that year, in partnership with the chosen organisation or project.
  • CSR Days:     
    • CSR days involve multiple working days in the calendar year dedicated to a charitable cause. The charitable causes chosen will be relevant to whichever causes were not chosen for the fundraising drive.
    • These days are carried out in partnership with other organisations (such as charities, NGOs or trusts) relevant to the cause in question.
    • CSR days are open to all Halo Service Solutions employees who wish to get involved.
General Responsibilities

Looking after Customers

Paramount to Halo Service Solution’s success is our partnership style approach to customer relationships and ensuring that all customers have a positive and lasting impression of our organisation. To do this, we carry out the following:

  • Halo Service Solutions customers are all given a specific SLA agreement when signing up to the services the company provides. To ensure this is adhered to, feedback mechanisms such as one-click feedback on all tickets, CSAT surveys and monthly meetings with Customer Success Managers have been implemented. Please use the Halo Service Solutions “Contact Us” page if you would like a copy of the SLA agreement or to speak to a representative about our Customer Success department.
  • Halo Service Solutions have a number of mechanisms in place to ensure the security, efficacy and quality of our products and services. These include internal measures such as the restriction of access to critical systems and infrastructure, and standardised processes and policies for all departments and global offices to adhere to. To ensure the efficacy of these measures, we employ independent third parties to put them to the test. For example, our security measures are annually ISO27001 and cyber essentials certified.
  • Halo Service Solutions commit to clear and concise communication with their customer base. This includes giving free of charge customer success and support services to all customers, regardless of size, and providing multiple channels of communication for requesting assistance, understanding company policy, understanding service availability, or feeding back on services provided.

Suppliers’ Standards

While Halo Service Solutions customer facing operations are all in-house, some suppliers are employed, for example our cloud-hosting provider. When selecting suppliers, the following is adhered to:

  • All suppliers must adhere to the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
  • All suppliers must operate in line with the Bribery Act 2010.
  • All suppliers must have their own CSR policy in place or give compelling reason as to why one is not in place.
  • Local suppliers are employed where possible to mitigate unnecessary environmental impact, for example the concessions supplied to each office.

Halo Service Solutions also ensures that supplier relationships are effectively maintained to mutual satisfaction. This includes:

  • Formal mechanisms to ensure correct and timely payment of all suppliers.
  • A commitment to clear communication with suppliers, including signposting to the correct communication channels and designated points of contact in the business.
Causes

Wellbeing and Equal Opportunities

Halo Service Solutions recognises the importance of promoting wellbeing and ensuring equal opportunities for all employees. They also work to encapsulate activities which promote better general societal wellbeing, including the promotion of inclusion, diversity and equality into external fundraising and CSR events. The following points cover some of the key policies the organisation has put in place, as well as actions that have been taken to improve wellbeing both internal and external to the business:

  • Halo Service Solutions are an Equal Opportunities Employer as per the Human Rights Act 2010, and all operations and processes are in line with the Modern Slavery Act of 2015.
  • Halo Service Solutions have a robust health and safety policy to ensure employee’s wellbeing whilst in any of our global offices, or on site with one of our customers. Please use the Halo Service Solutions “Contact Us” page if you would like a copy of this.
  • Halo Service Solutions have a robust equal opportunities policy to ensure diversity, inclusion and equality. Please use the Halo Service Solutions “Contact Us” page if you would like a copy of this.
  •  All technologies utilised at Halo Service Solutions, including our own in-house built solutions, are regular tested to ensure accessibility for all employees. For example, all Halo Service Solutions software is WCAG compliant and is regularly tested to ensure this by Halo Service Solutions employees and customers alike. All working environments at Halo Service Solutions have also been designed with accessibility in mind, and in such a way to contribute to the productivity of all employees.
  • Key to the success of Halo Service Solutions is the training and development of all staff members. Because of this, every employee is given a tailored development programme on the first day of their employment and assigned a peer mentor to assist their transition into the organisation. All employees are then given monthly 1-2-1 training and development sessions to ensure their personal goals are met. A graduate scheme is also on offer to those joining the organisation straight from university, further detail on this can be found on our careers page:  https://haloservicesolutions.com/careers/.
  • All Halo Service Solutions employees are paid a Living Wage (with formal mechanisms in place to ensure prompt and correct payment), have pension plans, and enjoy a range of supplementary benefits. These include free concessions, parking, company phones and cars (where relevant to their role), free company social events (including fundraising events, day trips and sporting events), and much more. The management team have also deployed multiple mechanisms to ensure that employees can easily and anonymously feedback on employee benefits if desired.
  • Halo Service Solutions have a formal process for dealing with any HR issues or complaints. This ensures all issues can be dealt with quickly and effectively to the satisfaction of all parties. Further information can be found in our employee handbook. Please use the Halo Service Solutions “Contact Us” page if you would like a copy of this.

To further improve the promotion of wellbeing and equal opportunities external to the organisation, Halo Service Solutions dedicate a proportion of their yearly fundraising target and/or employee charity days toward this cause.

Environmental Responsibility

Halo Service Solutions strives to be as environmentally responsible as possible and are dedicated to the fight against climate change. In this spirit, the following mechanisms have been implemented within the organisation:

  • Waste reduction measures are in place throughout all global offices, such as recycling bins, energy efficient electrical appliances (boiling taps and energy efficient hand dryers and lightbulbs), and further internal policy to ensure the reduction of waste. This does include a “Switch Off” policy which not only ensures the security of all employee laptops and devices, but also reduces unnecessary electrical energy consumption. To aid in the reduction of water wastage, mechanisms have been put in place in all bathrooms (such as aerators on taps) and internal policy has been put in place to ensure minimal water wastage in staff kitchen areas (such as controlled dishwasher usage).
  • Where possible the organisation ensures materials used in Halo Service Solutions offices are recyclable or come from recycled materials. Failing this, local suppliers are sourced where possible to ensure minimal transportation time and therefore carbon emissions.
  • Halo Service Solutions utilities are provided by renewable energy sources where possible.
  • Halo Service Solutions employees are encouraged to use greener transportation by doing any of the following:
    • Walk, cycle, car share or use public transport to get to work if possible.
    • Use greener fuels in their personal vehicles if possible.
    • Any company vehicles (e.g. company cars) should be as energy efficient as possible.

To further improve the environmental responsibility of Halo Service Solutions, the organisation dedicates a proportion of their yearly fundraising target and/or employee charity days toward this cause.

Tackling Economic Inequality

Halo Service Solutions recognise our economic responsibility, from creation and growth of business to employment and education. The following policies and practises have been implemented to lower the unequal distribution of income and opportunity between different groups in society.

  • Halo Service Solutions offer work experience opportunities to schools and colleges local to their corporate offices. This provides students with the opportunity to learn new skills, network with professionals, take part in training sessions and get stuck in with other events the company offers to employees. The goal of these work experience placements is to help students find their feet in the professional world, by gaining insight into any area of the business which piques their interest. This also gives them valuable experience when applying for future employment.
  • Halo Service Solutions also partner with local universities to assist in tailoring course content to increase student employability. This ensures students in degrees relevant to the work of Halo Service Solutions (such as mathematics or computer science) leave university with the right skills to be employable and competitive in the world of work.
  • Halo Service Solutions also offer a global Graduate Scheme, allowing university graduates from across the globe the opportunity to be holistically trained in all areas of the business over a year long period. This allows graduates to work in a supported environment whilst determining their chosen role within the business. The scheme is training focused, with each applicant receiving a tailored development programme on their first day, and a dedicated mentor in each department they are exposed to. Further detail can be found on our careers page: https://haloservicesolutions.com/careers/.
  • Halo Service Solutions also offer a discounted rate for their services to charities, educational institutions, and non-profit organisations. Halo Service Solutions also work in partnership with these organisations to identify areas in business process where time and money could be saved, to further save unnecessary resource expenditure at these important organisations.

To further tackle societal economic disparity, Halo Service Solutions also dedicate a proportion of their yearly fundraising target and/or employee charity days toward this cause.

COVID-19 Recovery

The global COVID-19 pandemic has a left a lasting impression on society, with far-reaching consequences that are still being felt to this day. Halo Service Solutions recognises their responsibility in mitigating this impact on its customers and employees. To do this, they have implemented the following:

  • All Halo Service Solutions consultants have been trained to help customers build resiliency into the processes they map into Halo Service Solutions software. This includes assisting in the creation of procedures which do not involve being physically in office, such as moving away from paper-based working methodologies and moving toward web-based solutions that can be accessed from any geographical location.
  • Halo Service Solutions have put in place new policy to ensure that customers are effectively supported should another pandemic, or similar crisis, occur.
    • During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation offered extended free trials to anyone struggling with the shift to working from home, allowing a highly developed solution for managing internal process remotely to be implemented at no charge. This process would immediately kick in once again should a crisis of a similar nature take place.
    • Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic special measures were offered to customers who were struggling to pay licence or professional services fees as a direct result of the pandemic. This included special payment plans or free periods to ensure that the vital service the software provides within their organisation was always available. This process would immediately kick in once again should a crisis of a similar nature take place.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, Halo Service Solutions furloughed no staff, increased their employee headcount by over 20% and achieved a 5-star Glassdoor rating. In this way the company contributed to the economy by reducing pressure on furlough schemes and increasing employment rates in a 5-star working environment.
Measuring Success

To ensure the continued success of Halo Service Solutions corporate social responsibility efforts, a CSR team has been formulated. This team perform the following duties:

  • Formation of the CSR policy.
  • Recommendation of CSR projects and initiatives to the wider business.
  • Recommendation on CSR expenditure and monitoring of any expenditure.
  • Annually review the CSR policy and causes selected.
  • Submit reports to upper management on all CSR activity, including any non-compliance.
  • Delegate responsibility to other employees who wish to be involved in CSR initiatives.
Publication

The contents of the CSR policy shall be displayed on all Halo Service Solution’s websites and sent to any interested party at the discretion of the CSR team and/or management.

Questions

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please send an e-mail to communications@haloitsm.com and we will respond in accordance with our standard service level agreement.

Effective: August 1, 2022