62 | Just Group PLC | Annual Report and Accounts 2023
NON-FINANCIAL AND SUSTAINABILITY INFORMATION STATEMENT continued
SOCIAL MATTERS
MATERIAL AREAS OF IMPACT
RELEVANT POLICIES AND FRAMEWORKS
Sustainability strategy Refer to our Sustainability strategy: TCFD disclosure framework report. Conduct and customer risk framework Sets out the framework of principles, systems and controls around the management of conduct and customer risk by the Group and encompasses regulatory requirements such as integrity, market conduct, customer interests and communication including the treatment of vulnerable customers, skill, care and diligence, and conflicts of interest. Tax strategy Summarises our approach to tax affairs. Available to view on our website at www.justgroupplc.co.uk .
• Deliver net zero targets • Partnership with charities and volunteering initiatives • Support local communities • Support vulnerable customers • Responsible approach to tax
DUE DILIGENCE AND OUTCOMES OF OUR POLICIES ON OUR MATERIAL AREAS OF IMPACT As part of our key priority of creating a fair world, we continue to support our local communities and are committed to good corporate citizenship, supporting charity and community initiatives which are relevant to our business, colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders. Our colleagues also benefit from participating in our social activities. During the year, we continued to support our charity partner, Hourglass. Further details of the charity can be found in our Colleagues and culture report. We supported colleague fundraising (half matching each colleagues’ funds up to £500).
We also encouraged colleagues to take part in a range of volunteering activities, including mentoring female students from underprivileged backgrounds who need support into STEM subjects (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) to successfully attain roles in businesses such as ours. We provide helpful tips and guidance on our website, www.wearejust.co.uk , on topics relating to retirement and the events that can impact finances in retirement such as inheritance tax and writing a will. For further information about our social activities and the impacts, see our Colleagues and culture report.
COLLEAGUES
MATERIAL AREAS OF IMPACT
RELEVANT POLICIES AND FRAMEWORKS
Board diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging policy Refer to page 89 Diversity and conscious inclusion policy Provides the framework within which we promote equality of opportunity, inclusive behaviours and diversity across the business. Capability policy Sets out the Company’s approach when dealing with cases of unsatisfactory performance and long-term incapacity. Fitness and propriety policy Sets out a framework for appropriate processes and procedures to ensure compliance with the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime. Group conduct and operational risk policy Sets out the statement of principles for ensuring that the risk that decisions and behaviours lead to detrimental or poor outcomes for customers and/or the risk of loss arising from failed or inadequate processes and systems, from people or from external events are monitored, managed and reported. Conduct and customer risk framework Refer to “social matters” above. Conflicts of interest policy Sets minimum standards and provides guidance to statutory Directors and other personnel whose activities with customers, colleagues and third parties may give rise to a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest. Whistleblowing policy Sets out the framework to encourage colleagues to feel safe in raising any suspicions of wrongdoing to the attention of the Board and senior management.
• Culture and ethics • Health and safety • Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging • Rewards and benefits • Training and career development • Wellbeing
DUE DILIGENCE AND OUTCOMES OF OUR POLICIES ON OUR MATERIAL AREAS OF IMPACT
Ensuring we have the right capabilities for today and the future, delivering a brilliant employee experience and enhancing the skills of our people managers are key strategic people priorities. The Group’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategy continues to focus on six areas: gender, ethnicity, disability and neurodiversity, social mobility, sexual orientation and older workers. Our progress against our DEIB strategy and targets is underpinned by a range of initiatives, which are outlined in our Colleagues and culture report. The Board sponsor for DEIB is the Group Chief Executive Officer. There is an active programme to improve Board diversity in accordance with the Board diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging policy. Further information on this policy and the steps taken to improve Board diversity can be found in the Nomination and Governance Committee report. Gender diversity across senior roles has increased this year by three percentage points to 33%. As such, we have achieved our target as a signatory to the Women in Finance Charter that 33% of senior leaders will be female by the end of 2023. We have now updated our target to 40% by the end of 2026. Our gender pay gap remained broadly the same, from 31.0% in April 2022 to 31.3% in April 2023. Further details can be found in our gender pay gap report at www.justgroupplc.co.uk .
As a signatory to the Race at Work Charter, we are meeting our updated commitment that at least 18% of our senior leaders are from a Black, Asian, and minority ethnic background by the end of 2026. At present, 19% of our senior leaders are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background. We have published our ethnicity pay gap report alongside our gender pay gap report. This report shows no significant mean pay gap and our median pay gap is 20% in favour of colleagues from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background. We continued to provide a wide range of wellbeing support and guidance for our colleagues built around mental, physical, social, and financial wellbeing, and we have an Executive sponsor for wellbeing. Further information on our wellbeing initiatives can be found in our Colleagues and culture report. We have policies and provide training to help ensure that our colleagues act ethically and do the right thing in the performance of their work. Our activities to help our colleagues feel proud to work at Just and our compliance policies work together to help mitigate against colleagues acting unethically. Our whistleblowing policy and mandatory training, encourage colleagues to report any wrongdoing. All such reports are fully investigated and appropriate remedial actions are taken.
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