It set out four challenges: giving back to communities and charities, to increase staff perception from 82% to 90% by 2014; giving £500,000 annually for developments in communities; encouraging its partners and suppliers to join in with its CSR vision; and sustainability through its building projects.
The HR team encouraged all 900 staff to take at least one half day per year to help others, but staff went further, giving up 6,000 hours of their own time for such projects.
Throughout its campaign, 'Giving Something Back' (GSB), staff were involved in planning the initiatives, from describing the benefits of CSR to suppliers to measuring the outcomes and celebrating success.
Employees rose to the challenge with passion. Achievements involved 22 staff completing the National Three Peaks Challenge for charity, volunteering in soup kitchens, donating Christmas gifts to underprivileged children and raising £11,000 for charity through lunches, cake sales etc.
Staff have helped 250 residents with employment and training and encouraged 5,000 residents and customers to get behind initiatives that can make a difference.
CSR is at the heart of everything the company does and staff believe it: 87% agree it works hard to support worthwhile causes, 76% think it puts a lot into local communities and 84% say AmicusHorizon makes a positive difference to the world.
But as well as giving help and hope to people in its communities and across, AmicusHorizon was focused on a business case for CSR: happy staff leads to brilliant customer service, leads to happy residents and in turn brilliant customer satisfaction.
Through CSR, staff were taken out of their comfort zone, given the opportunity to be creative, encouraged to work in teams and to take ownership. Judges were impressed and felt a "proactive HR team, taking clear pride in what it was doing" had driven the strategy.
Highly Commended
AXA PPP Healthcare
The judges believed CSR was the lifeblood of AXA PPP healthcare. Through its 'Hearts in Action' programme, which allows staff time off to volunteer: in 2011, 50% of employees took part in more than 100 charity challenges, building the reputation of the company and the brand. As such, 87% of employees feel AXA PPP is socially responsible in the community.
The company's employees also established its 'Greenwatch' scheme, to encourage greener behaviour, with a view this can lead to business success. It uses electric vans to deliver and recycles everything from paper to spectacles.
Staff at its Tunbridge Wells branch even keep bees on the roof and employees and families can take part in bee-keeping courses. They then sell their honey, raising money for charity.
Judges were impressed with the breadth and amount of CSR activities taking place at AXA PPP. They thought the bee-keeping idea was innovative and authentic and there was a clear - and customer-focused - strategy connecting CSR to the business.
Finalist
• Marriott Hotels
