Our Guiding Principles

Our values and Guiding Principles are not optional extras, nor are they a distraction from our real jobs. They are vital in securing and keeping trust, creating a respected, sustainable, profitable company with strong relationships – for the long-term.

Believing in people, team work and diversity

We invest in the future of our company by training and developing our people. Whenever possible we work as a team, sharing knowledge and best practice across the company. We offer our employees equal opportunities to develop their potential at work, encouraging them to expand their skills and experience and advance their careers.

We respect our people’s individual rights and privacy, treating as confidential data we may hold concerning them and offering them fair procedures for resolving issues. We consult employees, either individually or through legitimate representative organisations, on matters that affect them.

We make the most of the diverse backgrounds of employees within our global company, consciously developing and using individuals’ local and cultural knowledge and experience to do the best job possible, wherever in the world we operate.

Delivering in a safe and sustainable way

Sustainable development is integral to all that we do. We balance social, environmental and economic priorities to create value for all our stakeholders.

We protect and support our employees and anyone working with us or affected by our activities, by promoting and implementing effective health and safety management systems and working practices. We are committed to continuous improvement of our health and safety performance, with our programme of ‘Beyond Zero’. This means that, leading by example, we can influence the safety behaviours of our work colleagues and the communities in which we live.

We protect and improve the environment wherever we can, minimising harm. We choose and promote effective environmental management systems and practices wherever possible. We are committed to continuous improvement of our environmental performance.

We must also protect our business – for shareholders and the many others that depend on us for their livelihood. This means not just safeguarding our franchise to operate, but investing in the future and actively seeking opportunities for growth. We strive to identify and manage all risks that might threaten the future of our company.

Acting with integrity and respect

We aim to be reliable, trustworthy and fair in all we do. We meet or exceed all applicable legal standards, honour our contractual commitments and avoid conflicts of interest. We keep company data accurate, confidential and secure and avoid corrupt behaviour of any kind. We communicate in an open and transparent way, internally and externally.

We respect the many different cultures of the communities in which we live and work and the human rights and dignity of their people. We involve our people when they are affected by our activities and seek to invest in their future, bringing them economic and social benefits.

Aspiring to excellence; passionate about success

We remember to look outwards to our customers and the businesses with which we work, seeing things from their point of view. We do not just respond to their suggestions, but are proactive, anticipating their needs. We are creative and innovative in our approach, so that we do not just meet but aim to exceed the expectations of customers and others with whom we work.

As individuals, we take full responsibility for our own performance and decisions. We take action to address problems or failures quickly and we seek innovative ways to generate performance and growth. As employees, we must also deliver value to our shareholders, including profits that grow sustainably year by year.

We are committed to delivering on our promises, to our employees, the people we work with, our customers and all our stakeholders. We always aim for operational excellence and have a passion for success in all that we do.