Stakeholder Engagement

We recognise the importance of our stakeholders’ views and actively listen and respond to their concerns at all levels of the organisation. Engagement is extensive and tailored at both project level and at Group/Division level. Some of the ways that we engage are shown below:

Customers

Transparent communication to our customers and clients is critical to the success of our business. We undertake this through a number of ways in our businesses.

In construction, we seek clients who value a collaborative approach and aim to become their long-term partners. We have assisted some of our primary customers in becoming recognised to BS 11000, the best practice standard and Billingtons has adopted these principles where it considers them appropriate to our business.

Feedback is sought throughout the delivery of contracts. Formal feedback questionnaires are issued at the completion of projects to allow accurate, concise and constructive feedback to be gained to further allow future contract delivery to be improved.

Shareholders

As a AIM listed company, we ensure there is clear, accurate and transparent communication between our Board and shareholders and provide updates on our strategy and progress towards our objectives. We carry this out through using our website, Annual Report and our Annual General Meetings.

Periodic meetings are held with shareholders and presentations on performance and strategy prepared. The presentations are disclosed on the website for all investors to view.

Employees

Employee Communication

We acknowledge that consistent, transparent and timely communication is key to employee engagement and use a number of channels and platforms to communicate with our people at all levels of the business.

Starting from the top of the organisation, we hold bi annual briefings with all employees to ensure that they remain informed of our strategy and priorities as well as our successes and failures.

Our priority is to ensure that employees understand our vision, the priorities of our Group and our five businesses, as well as our strategy and objectives, with specifics as to what we want to achieve, where we want to be and how we plan to achieve that.

We ensure that employees understand what we value as a business, the behaviours we want to encourage/expect of everyone; and engender a culture where they behave accordingly, driving their desire to play their part in a successful business.

We keep our people updated on our strategy, progress against that strategy and their role in the wider context of the Group through platforms such as our Chief Executive’s team briefs to staff across our business; newsletters from our Chief Executive with updates on areas of focus, proactive and reactive communication from leadership on themes that affect our employees, business and industry; our intranet is a pivotal tool for communicating with all employees and ensures proactive engagement at all levels.

Employee Survey

Periodically the Company conducts a survey of its employees to ensure that valuable feedback is gained and ideas for improvements acquired and subsequently implemented. The objective is to ensure that Billington is recognised as a great place to work and once to which people are proud of.

Supply Chain

We select suppliers and subcontractors that align with our business vision and values and actively engage with our supply chain to promote our principles and practices.

Many of our relationships are managed at a local level to help us support local communities and also provide us with flexibility to do what suits the needs of our projects.

We ensure that our supply chain is engaged for works suitable to their size, capabilities and financial position.

We engage with our supply chain in various ways. We aim to work more collaboratively with carefully selected subcontractors by sharing our vision, values and objectives with them and providing visibility of works through regular communication.

Attracting new talent We are aware of the skills shortage within our industry and actively promote roles in construction. Much of this work is undertaken on a local level, where we go into schools and colleges to talk to people about opportunities in our business and wider industry, but we also take part in national recruitment events.

The Company is supportive of progressing apprentice talent and has sought to develop, in conjunction with the British Steelwork Constructional Association an industry specific fabrication qualification that is tailored to our industry and delivered in the workplace. This has been a great success in attracting and developing new talent.

Inclusion and Diversity

We are in our policy and practice an equal opportunities employer and we enjoy, promote and value a diverse workforce, actively supporting, encouraging and inspiring people from all parts of our community into our business and sector.

Opportunities are given to the most appropriate current and prospective employees irrespective of age, gender and disability and our equal opportunities policy is reviewed annually to ensure adherence to the most current legislation.