Doing the right thing.
At Procurement Heads, we believe that businesses have a responsibility to do more than just generate profits.
We recognise that our actions can have an impact on the environment, the communities we operate in, and society as a whole.
That’s why we are committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and making a positive difference through our work.
Our commitment to CSR aligns with our overall mission to deliver procurement recruitment as a professional service.
We understand that our success depends not just on our ability to provide stellar recruitment services, but also on our ability to operate sustainably, support the procurement community and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
We want to share with you our efforts to make a positive impact and contribute to a better future. We believe that transparency and accountability are essential to building trust with our stakeholders, including our clients, candidates, employees, partners, and the wider public.
Sustainability.
The businesses that will stand the test of time are undoubtedly those that look to the future; planning strategically to ensure that their brand, products and services will flourish in changing economic, social and environmental situations.
For those that embrace this way of operating, sustainability is likely to be a key focus, and in this respect, Procurement has never had a more important part to play, not just around the long-term future of a business, but in relation to brand reputation where sustainability is not just a partnering of economy and ecology, but an opportunity to demonstrate values and integrity.
Well-known brands such as Aviva, Marks and Spencer and Unilever have led the way with this by committing to big initiatives such as using only 100% renewable energy.
This has massively reduced their carbon footprint and ensured a future-proofing of business operations for the inevitable demise of fossil fuels. It has also positioned them as a brand of choice for talent and consumers, in a market where both are more environmentally aware and more likely to align interests and loyalties to companies displaying sustainable programmes.
Another way in which procurement is encouraging responsible behaviour and environmentally sound practice is through careful selection and management of suppliers; securing contracts and building relationships that add value from a commercial and an ethical perspective.
Many have achieved this by embedding environmental, social and economic criteria into their contracts and sharing business goals and objectives with suppliers to encourage a unity of approach.
There are also sustainable trends emerging that procurement teams will be integral to such as the promotion of a sharing economy where resources are kept in use for as long as possible or products are swapped, shared or rented from suppliers in a bid to reduce waste.
Sustainability may still be a sub-category on the corporate agenda for many, but considering the long-term effect of corporate behaviour is something no business should ignore.
Shareholder return and next month’s figures may enhance the present but taking into account how corporate actions will deplete resources, cause pollution and affect future generations is the only thing that can protect organisations from what lies ahead.
How We Can Make A Change
At Procurement Heads, we are proud to partner with the Sustainable Procurement Pledge.
“We are committed to supporting the SPP, which is why all of the team have signed the Pledge and are active Ambassadors.
“As leading Procurement Recruitment specialists, we have a key role in helping the SPP achieve its vision of all global supply chains embedding sustainable procurement practices by 2030.
“We believe that in leading the debate around sustainability with candidates, clients and procurement influencers, we can make a real difference.” – Rupert Gaster, MD Procurement Heads
What Is The Sustainable Procurement Pledge?
The Sustainable Procurement Pledge (SPP) is a pro-bono community of people committed to embedding sustainability into their procurement practices – and sharing the knowledge and tools of how to do so.
The world is facing tremendous environmental and social challenges where we in Procurement have a critical role to contribute, to steer and to develop responsible supply chains.
The Sustainable Procurement Pledge addresses all procurement professionals, academics and students who want to become an SPP Ambassador and drive a Responsible Procurement agenda through personal engagement.
By personally committing yourself, you pledge to foster a common understanding of responsible, inclusive and cooperative Procurement behaviour while including them in your day-to-day business conduct.
How You Can Get Involved
Click here to sign the Sustainable Procurement Pledge and become an Ambassador.
Request to join the Sustainable Procurement Ambassadors’ group on Linkedin.
Sustainability Blogs
Read more sustainability insight from procurement and supply chain leaders by clicking here.
We’d love to hear how your organisation is embedding sustainable procurement practices, email us on info@procurementheads.com
Social Responsibility
Charity Partnership
Macmillan Cancer Support is close to the heart of our business and every Procurement Heads team member is passionate about driving awareness and support for the charity.
We’re the first SME business to sign a corporate partnership agreement.
We run a number of ongoing initiatives for Macmillan that keep donations topped up and benefit our network at the same time.
Our Heads Up referral scheme donates £250 for every successful referral to Macmillan and we receive a number of donations in return for our CV Aid service.
To date, we have raised more than £17,000 towards Macmillan’s vital work.
Fundraising Events
Come rain or shine you’ll find us hosting or taking part in various fundraising activities across the country, throughout the year.
Alongside our sister brands, HR Heads and Executive Heads, we enter all sorts of sporting events to challenge ourselves whilst raising much-needed funds.
We host fashion evenings, football matches and wine tastings.
Click here to view our latest fundraising page!
Mentoring
The data behind mentoring shows obvious benefits.
Procurement Heads launched ProcureMentor in 2021, a mentoring programme for procurement professionals across the industry to share their experiences and gain valuable insight from peers.
A five-year study of 1,000 employees by Gartner found:
- Mentees are promoted five times more often than those not in a mentoring programme
- Retention rates were higher for both mentees (22% more) and mentors (20% more) than for employees who did not participate in a mentoring programme
- 25% of employees who enrolled in a mentoring program had a salary grade change, compared to only 5% of workers who did not participate
Mentoring in numbers:
- 71% of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programmes
- 97% of those with a mentor say they are valuable (Source Sage.com)
- Only 37% of professionals have a mentor (Source Forbes)
- 89% of those mentored will go on to mentor others (Source McCarthy Mentoring)
Investing in leadership pays off in performance, productivity and innovation.
For CEOs in formal mentoring programmes (Harvard Business Review 2015):
- 84% said mentors had helped them avoid costly mistakes
- 84% become proficient in their roles faster
- 69% were making better decisions
Research also shows:
- Millennials intending to stay with their organisation for more than five years are twice as likely to have a mentor (68%) than not (32%)
- Participants are 40% more likely to hit their goals if they’re written down, something which increases to 70% if they share these goals with someone like a mentor, to keep them accountable
- 89% of those mentored, go on to mentor thus contributing to a culture of learning and mentoring
Once you’ve filled in your details in the contact form below, we will carefully match mentors and mentees according to your needs and stages of your careers.
We will then facilitate introductions between the two parties to enable the mentoring to begin.
For more information about our procurement mentoring programme, email the team at info@procurementheads.com
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
“When everyone is included, everyone wins.” Jesse Jackson
At Heads Resourcing Group, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) is embedded into our DNA and one of our core business pillars.
We firmly believe in equality for all and have pledged to continue attracting a workforce that reflects this, not only for ourselves but for the clients and candidates we engage with.
They are more than just words for us; they are the guiding principles of how we build our teams and future leaders and how we inspire organisations to diversify talent pools.
We have a global multi-cultural following and are duty-bound to reflect this in our hiring processes.
From candidate attraction, right through to Board representation, ED&I touches every part of the process and people need to feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work knowing they will be treated equally and fairly and that their opinion matters.
Demonstrating our commitment:
- Signed the Race Fairness Commitment Pledge which ensures fairness at work for people of all ethnic backgrounds and the Change the Race Ratio, which aims to accelerate racial diversity in business.
- Run regular events for our network with guest speakers who discuss ED&I in the workplace and what organisations can do to attract a more diverse workforce.
- Pioneered a mentoring scheme tackling gender diversity.
There is more work to be done, but with the help of our employees, customers, strategic partners, and network we can achieve #EqualityForAll.
Armed Forces Covenant
Procurement Heads is also proud to have joined many leading organisations in signing the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation to those who serve. It says we will do all we can to ensure they are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives. This includes offering injured servicemen and women and bereaved families extra support where appropriate.
For more about the Armed Forces Covenant and what it means for you, please visit their website.
Get In Touch
At Procurement Heads we understand the importance of making it easy for clients and candidates to get in touch with us.
You can fill out the following form and one of the team will be in touch.
Alternatively, you can call us on 01962 869838 or email us via info@procurementheads.com
CPO Spotlight | Andrea Albright