Supporting our Employees
Making Pernod Ricard UK a great place to work is a key priority. To ensure a Better Balance in the Workplace, we have initiatives in three key areas:
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We believe a safe, healthy workplace is one in which the mental and physical wellbeing of employees are valued equally. Trained mental health first-aiders are available to help their colleagues and direct them to additional support. There is also a 24/7 Employee Assistance programme, which can help with issues ranging from relationship problems to financial concerns, and the My Family Care service, which offers four free backup care sessions as well as one-to-one confidential advice from trained professionals across a range of disciplines.
During the COVID-19 crisis, we made additional benefits available to deal with the demanding situation, including a free one-to-one wellness session with a qualified counsellor and mental health awareness training for managers to help them support their teams during this period.
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A dedicated Diversity & Inclusion committee as well as recruitment programmes such as our internship and apprenticeship schemes are driving increased diversity in our business. Our staff is currently 55% female and 45% male, represents 20 nationalities, and ranges in age from 18 to 72. We are committed to transparency and action to reduce gender and ethnicity pay discrepancies. We believe that transparent data will allow a better understanding of any barriers and the appropriate steps to be taken to address this.
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We support the health and wellbeing of our colleagues by encouraging a healthy lifestyle and providing opportunities to achieve this, such as access to free fitness, yoga and pilates classes, football, tennis and running clubs and regular mindfulness sessions. Employees can also participate in a company-sponsored book club or wine club, encouraging conviviality and conversation across our business.
Helping our Sector
The COVID-19 crisis dramatically affected the hospitality sector, with many livelihoods impacted by lockdowns. To support the sector, Pernod Ricard UK donated over £530,000 to The Drinks Trust charity and offered 3000 free Wine Spirits Education Trust training courses to help employees in this sector develop their skills. We also produced a guide to help hospitality businesses rebuild.
To support the community, our Plymouth gin distillery colleagues produced over 65,000 litres of hand sanitiser, providing vital supplies for frontline workers and citizens. Pernod Ricard UK also donated £95,000 to charities helping those in need including The Ben Scotland, The Cares Family, Crisis, Fareshare and Mind.
Bringing People Together
In partnership with The Cares Family charity, in 2019 we launched the Know Your Neighbour network with the objective of creating genuine moments of social connection and combatting isolation by bringing older and younger neighbours together at events hosted by our hospitality customers. These events are proving a great way for people to get out and meet other people in the community.
Key Figures
hours contributed by Pernod Ricard UK employees to support social enterprises
of social enterprises rated their Pernod Ricard mentors as ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’
of mentors found that participating in the programme made them feel more fulfilled
Sharing Skills
Pernod Ricard UK works closely with Social Starters – a non-profit that cultivates social enterprise ecosystems – to offer skills-based programmes that allow our employees to volunteer to share their expertise in a socially beneficial way, acting as mentors and working with social entrepreneurs to tackle real business challenges.
Volunteering and Fundraising
All Pernod Ricard UK employees are entitled to take up to three days of leave to volunteer per year. This empowers employees to support charities they are passionate about. The organisation also matches funds up to a certain limit raised by employees for causes they support.