Our Policies

Our 4 key policies are our:

  • Quality Assurance Policy
  • Health and Safety Policy
  • Equality and Diversity Policy
  • Environmental Policy
All policies were last reviewed by: Ewan Pearson, Managing Director of GPB, on 21st December 2012.

Quality Assurance Policy

1) Our Business

Grant Pearson Brown Consulting Ltd (GPB) is a respected and specialist communications, presentation and business development advisor. We run workshops and advise clients on their key communication events. We were founded in 1993 and are based in Covent Garden . Whilst we don’t specialise in any sector but have many financial services, professional services, high technology and pharmaceuticals clients.

2) Why quality is important to our business

Quality is important to us as it ensures we give the best advice to our clients and run our business more efficiently, so keeping us more competitive. We aim to exceed our clients’ expectations using SMART criteria. As these continually rise we also focus on continuous improvement and the development of new ideas. To this end we have Quality Management Systems (QMS) which allow us to measure how well we are doing versus expectations.

3) The systems we have in place

The systems we have in place are:

  1. A CRM system to ensure our clients are well cared for.
  2. Ongoing training for staff, ad hoc and formally to ensure skills and knowledge increase.
  3. Systems covering accuracy, security, sustainability, and business continuity.

Together, these systems ensure we will continue to serve our clients to our best abilities.

4) The processes and procedures we have in place to ensure delivery of our service

The processes and procedures we have in place to ensure delivery of our service are:

  1. Client feedback meetings for all our workshops.
  2. Ongoing client development, including an educational journal.
  3. A client engagement policy to manage expectations.
  4. Mechanisms to check the quality and accuracy of our advisory and financial information.
  5. Back-up systems (including offsite storage) of all business data.
  6. Security processes to ensure client confidentiality and business continuity.
  7. A holiday booking process to ensure continuous coverage.

5) The processes & procedures we have to measure our Quality Management System

The processes and procedures we have in place to measure the effectiveness of our QMS are:

  1. We measure our performance for all client assessments vs aims.
  2. We monitor the improvement of all our staff following training.
  3. Our accounts are audited; all invoices and expenses are checked and require authorisation.
  4. We monitor and respond to our clients’ feedback by improving our systems and processes to drive down weaknesses and work towards ‘Do It Right First Time Every Time’ (DIRFTET).
  5. Our suppliers are required to meet high standards of quality, consistency and continuity.
  6. We monitor resources (e.g. energy, utilities, and paper) and have procedures to reduce waste and time.

6) Communicating our QA Policy

We communicate our QA policy to our staff, customers and suppliers using the website, by placing a copy in the office manual, and in reception.

7) As Managing Director, Ewan Pearson and all staff are responsible for the quality of our business.

8) All policies are reviewed at least yearly in January.

Health and Safety Policy Statement

Our H&S policy has the following objectives:

1) To protect the lives and full health of all employees and visitors to our offices.

2) To protect the lives and full health our staff and all counterparties whenever they are working for the company offsite.

We aim to fulfil these policies by:

  1. Ensuring that the office is a safe place to work.
  2. That any event that reduces the safety of the workplace is immediately notified to all staff with recommendations for changes in location and activity, and remedial action is taken immediately.
  3. That regular assessments are done on the safety of equipment and locations, and any remedial work that is needed is immediately carried out before work starts.
  4. That all staff are kept fully aware of health and safety issues and that they adopt a proactive stance towards minimising risk in the workplace and outside in public areas.

Equality and Diversity Policy

Our Equal Opportunities/Diversity policy states that:

The company will never discriminate in employing or retaining or working with individuals on the basis of sex, religious belief, age, sexual orientation, nationality, physical or mental disability

All staff are kept full informed of their responsibilities under the law and this policy not to discriminate; and that severe but legal penalties are encoded into employment contracts should an employee fall foul of this policy.

The company supports fully the need for and benefits of diversity among its workforce.

Environmental Policy

1) GPB’s policy is to minimising waste, recycle as much as possible, and economise on energy and water usage, wherever it is sensible and not damaging to the business to do so.

2) Our Environmental and Sustainability (ES) Policy objectives are:

To try to reduce our net environmental footprint to as near zero as we can

  • Where we cannot avoid making a negative impact, we minimise it in the most cost-effective way.
  • We do what we can to recycle, and to balance the negative with the positive.
  • We believe that a good ES policy is also good business economics.

3) We aim to achieve these objectives by:

Minimising our use of electricity for heating, cooling, light and power. We switch off every night, we do not switch a device on until it is needed, and switch it off after use if the gap in use is more than 5 minutes.

Whilst accepting that employees have a right and need to water, we minimise our use of water by preventing leaks, reducing toilet flush volumes, and turning taps off between uses. Washing up is done with minimal water.

We avoid the use of paper and office supplies especially toner and ink where possible, we use the ‘Think before you Print’ slogan, we use smaller fonts and fuller page covering, and recycle paper to be reused where possible. Shredded paper is recycled for use in compost heaps.

We continue the search and deployment of lower cost lighting, heating and cooling.

Cleaning by cleaners is done only as often as is needed to keep the offices clean to the required level, and cleaners use environmentally-friendly cleaning materials where possible. Each person is responsible for office tidiness and economic but effective tidying.

We have small plants around the office to contribute to an improved CO2 environment.

4) Specific measures in place:

Rubbish and recycling

  • We use local authority recycling facilities to recycle: paper, cardboard, plastic, metal. Glass is also recycled where possible.
  • We separate as much recyclable rubbish from other rubbish in separate bins in the office as we can. This is for A4 and other printing paper, but also hand washing paper, newspapers, and paper matter received by post or from clients.
  • Redundant electrical equipment is removed for recycling where possible.
  • Used printer toner is recycled where possible.

Paper

  • Paper is not used where electrical communication is as good an alternative.
  • Paper is re-used where possible, especially scrap A4 white paper, used on both sides.
  • Items to be printed are checked carefully before printing to minimise the risk of error and waste.

Cleaning

  • Cleaning is done only twice a week, to minimise energy and material usage. A low energy vacuum cleaner is used.

Lighting

  • We use low energy light bulbs where we can, where not limited by their lower luminescence.
  • We use fewer light bulbs, to create ‘just enough’ light in the office.
  • We turn off lights when not needed, and we use natural light as much as possible.

Electrical equipment

  • We switch off all electrical appliances when not in use, especially overnight and over weekends.
  • We try to avoid leaving items on standby mode during the day or night, unless needed.
  • Where we can we use lower power items such as kettles, microwaves, and fridges.