Our effort in creating a positive impact in society was recognised at Business in the Community's Responsible Business Awards.
We believe that businesses like ours can play an important role in society by helping create a fairer, more sustainable future. At the Business in the Community (BITC) Responsible Business Awards, our unwavering commitment to addressing pressing social and environment issues was recognised.
Centrica not only won the ‘Championing an Ageing Workforce’ award but British Gas also successfully retained BITC’s Community Mark for its leading role transforming local communities.
Helping older workers thrive
The ‘Championing an Ageing Workforce’ award demonstrates Centrica’s pioneering role in providing both opportunities and support for older workers. And with the number of people working past retirement age having almost doubled in the past 20 years with forecasts set to rise in the future, it’s vital we attract, retain and provide effective support that works for our people and our business.
BITC particularly highlighted our best-practice culture which enables employees to combine work with caring responsibilities. We are one of few large companies to offer paid leave for carers and have flexible working practices alongside a 1,000-strong employee carers’ network.
We are also celebrating the value of intergenerational and inclusive working by removing upper age limits from our apprenticeship and graduate programmes.
Making a difference in local communities
For the fourth consecutive year, British Gas was awarded the Community Mark which is a national standard for creating positive impacts in society.
One of the ways we are doing this is by tackling fuel poverty and over the last decade, we’ve invested £75m in the British Gas Energy Trust to support more than 120,000 people with debt advice and grants. We are also investing in skills not just for today, but for tomorrow too. We are one of the largest apprenticeship providers in the UK and are creating the next generation of sustainable energy innovators through Generation Green.
BITC’s Chief Executive Stephen Howard said: “The Responsible Business Awards give much needed visibility to organisations who are putting responsible behaviour at the heart of how they do business. We congratulate Centrica for being an inspirational example for others to learn from.”
Read more about our commitment to being a responsible business.