• Policy

Gifford is a Company that demonstrates a strong social conscience consistent with being a legitimate-for-profit organisation, competing in international commerce. The core values of Gifford provide evidence of a socially responsible attitude to work and to all parties involved with it.

  • Gifford staff

Gifford demonstrates equality, diversity and inclusion in dealing with staff, in order that a wide range of people with different skills can be employed. Staff are helped to achieve a reasonable work/life balance by the offer of flexible working hours, variable holiday arrangements and an employee support programme. Gifford seeks to develop the potential of each and every individual in the Company to theirmutual benefit.

  •  Community

Each Gifford office involves itself with the local community, using the opportunities of the projects with which they are involved to provide education for local people. Our Policy is to invite schools to attend seminars on our major construction sites to raise awareness of the task of engineers in controlling the environment, or with our archaeologists to learn about history. Our staff attend schools to raise the awareness of engineering at both primary and secondary school level. Gifford staff are encouraged to share with the Company in charitable giving of both time and resources.

  • Human rights

The balance of benefits between our clients, staff, suppliers, directors and owners is carefullymanaged to see that it does not favour any one party and maintains their human rights.

  • Gifford services

Gifford provides consultancy services related to the built environment and strives to be socially responsible in its professional activities in terms of integrity, impartiality and quality of service, for which we set high Key Performance Indicators that are monitored by formal feedback from those with whom we deal.

  • Corporate governance

The Chairman is to carry out an annual review of Corporate Governance to ensure that the business of Gifford is done competently, with integrity and with due regard to the interests ofthe shareholders.

  • Environment

Gifford take a sustainable approach to its activities, both in the way that we work in our offices and in the designs that we do for our clients, much of which is controlled by our formal Environmental Management System. Our intention is to enable economic development today without compromising the future and where possible to enhance the environment. Gifford seeks to reduce the causes of global climate change by encouraging energy conservation and the propagation of clean energy systems; as well as endeavoring to consume less, reduce waste, reuse or recycle materials and recover energy. Gifford seeks, both in our projects and in the local environment of our offices, to maintain the balance and diversity of life as well as reducing the environmental impact of transport.

  • Community work in action - charity

The Rose Road Association is a UK south coast charity which helps children and young adults with profound and multiple disabilities. One of the current trustees and former Chair of the Association is Gifford's environmental director, Paul Hillman. Through his direct involvement and dedication Gifford has lent its own support to the work of the charity - not just in providing time for Paul to attend to trustee business but in various practical ways through financial donations, supporting specific events, promoting staff fund-raising initiatives and particpating in networking breakfast meetings. In this way Gifford's on-going support has proved beneficial to both parties.

  • Community work in action - education

The Solent Centre for Architecture + Design exists to promote the value of good design in buildings and spaces, primarily along the central south coast. With funding from CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), the Arts Council England and SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) they have initiated a number of educational and regeneration projects.

‘Urban Fallow’ is a scheme dedicated to transforming temporarily vacant land; ‘Places for Spaces’ is a programme which works with local authorities and universities to regenerate public spaces such as parks; and ‘SPUD’ (Space Placemaking and Urban Design) is a new initiative designed to encourage young people to become more engaged with the built environment.

These are just three examples, but the vein which runs through all of their work is education and, crucial to that objective, teacher training. As a patron of SCA+D, Gifford not only helps financially but in practical ways too by providing a suitable space at our Carlton House campus for SCA+D to deliver built environment training to teachers from the southern counties region.

  • Community work in action - overseas

Tools for Self Reliance is a UK based charity working to help relieve poverty in Africa, which has its headquarters close to Gifford’s Carlton House office. Their approach development is to focus on the artisan sector in rural communities. Gifford has provided support to Tools for Self Reliance over a number of years and Bram Miller, an associate with Gifford working in the area of sustainability, is a trustee of the organisation. Gifford provides the charity with a venue with their annual AGM, is currently producing a carbon account for the organisation and also provides time for Bram to attend to trustee meetings and business.

 

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