Warrington-based preventative healthcare specialist PAM Group has unveiled a social value plan featuring a range of measures designed to improve the lives of its staff, clients and the communities where it operates.
PAM’s new blueprint, called Do The Right Thing, sets out its commitment to helping its 650-strong workforce, clients, stakeholders and communities to live better, healthier and happier lives.
The strategy includes:
- Giving staff 1.5 days’ paid leave each year to volunteer with local organisations;
- A new annual charity fund of at least £12,000 giving employees the opportunity to nominate their chosen good causes for grants;
- A pledge to support 10 apprenticeships and 20 work placements each year. Recruitment by the group will also focus on those who are furthest from the workforce, including through job centres and employment support groups;
- Promoting the Real Living Wage among its supply chain and customers. PAM Group has already adopted the Real Living Wage for its own staff;
- Improving skills through the PAM Learning Academy, which will be a centre of excellence for staff with in-house and external training;
- A wellbeing programme for staff, including remote working where appropriate and health and wellness events and workshops.
The plan also outlines PAM Group’s sustainability policy, which is called Our World. It includes a commitment to keeping travel to a minimum, encourages the use of public transport, walking, cycling and car sharing, promises to procure goods locally and to use energy efficiently across PAM’s sites, incorporating low carbon technology and renewable energy systems.
Louise Abbs, pictured, the managing director of PAM Wellbeing, is spearheading the initiative as the group’s new social value director.
She said: “Every business has a responsibility to look after its people, clients and the communities in which it works.
“Social value is about doing the right thing, and that’s why our business is committed to improving the lives of our clients, colleagues, stakeholders and local communities.
“Do The Right Thing outlines the contribution PAM Group already makes to the economic, social and environmental aspects of life, how we can benefit the communities we work in, and the impacts our actions have on them.
“We aim to ensure our decisions and actions add social value by contributing to the long-term wellbeing and resilience of individuals, communities and society in general.
“Doing the right thing supports the development of positive employee relationships, creates a supportive culture, builds trust in the organisation, helps to attract and retain talent, and helps colleagues to develop a strong identity with the company they work for.
“The pandemic has, over the last two years, made us more conscious about our own individual responsibilities and about ourselves, so our Social Value Plan could not have come at a better time.”
Louise will lead a 12-strong social value board made up of staff from across the group to devise and implement, measure and report on the commitments outlined in the document.
She said: “We have already begun making great strides, with our commitment to the Real Living Wage and a number of colleagues wishing to volunteer.
“We look forward to building on this positive start in this extremely important area.”
PAM Group is one of the largest occupational health, employee assistance programme and wellbeing providers in the UK. It offers a range of integrated services to public and private sector clients, supporting more than 600,000 employees at over 1,000 businesses and organisations.
Its services include absence management, physiotherapy, employee assistance programmes, psychological support, corporate health assessments and neurodiversity assessments, drug and alcohol screening. It also has a retail arm which supplies fitness, exercise and rehabilitation equipment to sports clubs and sports and physiotherapy professionals.
