Overview

We acknowledge that running a business today affects society; as such, we realize that our company has a corporate social responsibility to our employees, our customers, our contractors, and to the broader community in which we operate.

By putting a corporate social responsibility (CSR) into practice, Higgins Corporation is committed, wherever possible, to:

  • Conduct ourselves responsibly and ethically.
  • Create a positive and supportive working environment.
  • Support our local communities.
  • Improve service levels to our clients.
  • Act fairly in our dealings with suppliers and other third parties.
  • Minimize the impact on our environment.

Communication

We communicate this policy and any changes to it, to our staff, clients and other stakeholders by means of our website, and internal memos.

Responsibility and Review

Christine DeGraff, our marketing manager, has accepted overall responsibility for our CSR policy, including communicating it by posting it to our website and by sending an internal memo to our staff each time it is updated. This policy will be reviewed at least annually as part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that our policy remains effective.

Because we believe that all members of our staff have a role to play in meeting our CSR objectives, they are encouraged to make suggestions regarding it by contacting Christine.

As we are committed to the highest possible standards of openness, honesty, and accountability, we encourage our staff members to openly voice any concerns that they have about any real or perceived departure from the high ethical standards that we have set for ourselves.

Our Corporate Social Responsibility Principles

Our conduct

Higgins Corporation aims to adopt the highest professional standards and will not act in any way that might compromise the integrity of our firm.

We actively promote respect between our staff members in their dealings with each other, as well as with our clients and other third parties.

Our working environment

We recognize that our staff members are our most important resource and that it is important that we offer them a positive, healthy working environment and job satisfaction.

In addition to maintaining an office manual that outlines our staff’s rights and expectations, we seek to ensure that they have access to the training they need for both their personal career development as well as to enable them to deliver the highest quality service to our customers.

Our community

Because we feel a responsibility to our community, we have resolved to sponsor or otherwise support local charities. We will work with our staff to choose a charity each year and allow them time off from work to carry out work in support of them.

Our clients

We understand that our business exists in a very competitive market; thus, we have committed to delivering quality products and a high level of service to our clients.

Suppliers

We aspire to enter into clear and fair contracts with our suppliers and to commit to the timely settlement of suppliers’ invoices. Wherever possible, we aim to support the local economy by contracting with local suppliers.

Environment

We are committed to behaving responsibly and minimizing our impact on the environment. We do this by:

  • Minimizing waste and adopting sensible recycling policies with respect to our paper and food consumption.
  • Providing safe and comfortable working conditions for our employees.
  • Ensuring that our electrical equipment and lights are off when not in use.
  • Ensuring that our heating is turned off or down outside of regular office hours.

Responsibility

Responsibility for this policy, including an annual review of the policy to:

  • Ensure that it remains up to date, compliant, and relevant to the needs of Higgins Corporation and our clients.
  • Verify it is in operation across the practice.