Our CSR programme
We take our responsibility as a business seriously, and through Sigma Connected CSR projects, we are committed to supporting our environment, our people, and connecting with the communities in which we operate across the UK, South Africa and Australia.
Our community
Sigma Connected charitable foundation
All our employees are given the opportunity to apply for a grant from the Sigma Connected Community Foundation to support a local not-for-profit organisation within their communities. We have a quarterly budget of £3,000 which is shared between the suitable applications received each quarter.
Additionally, all employees can make a personal £2 donation directly from their salaries to our nominated charity. We are currently supporting Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Impact sourcing
We believe there is a different way to do things, including how and who we recruit. Working with support agencies we look to disadvantaged communities or cohorts, both in the UK and South Africa, to identify high potential talent and support them into the workplace through specific training and dedicated support.
Benefits:
- Access to an extended talent pool
- Highly committed individuals who want to break the unemployment cycle
- Positive economic impact on the communities in which we operate
In South Africa we partner with Shadow Careers to provide permanent employment opportunities for the unemployed youth. Currently over 60% of our new hires have come from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities in the Western Cape. All delegates are fully equipped and embedded in the Sigma culture before they complete their 12-week work readiness programme through job shadowing.
Listen to Aeysha Coetzee talk on Smile radio about bring jobs to the people in South Africa.
In the UK we work with four different partners to enable the long-term unemployed into the workplace – People Plus, Back to Work, BMET and Seetec – and 55% of our employees join us through one of these organisations. Candidates receive interview guidance and skills training before they join the Sigma training programme to give them the confidence and support to enter the workplace again.
Apprenticeships
Providing alternatives for individuals who can’t afford university fees, we hire apprentices. This programme, in association with Birmingham Metropolitan College, enables people to train on the job.
Dress for success
In partnership with Suited for Success, we help people return to work in the UK by offering employment skills workshops and assisting with application advice.
By helping unemployed men and women with the interview process, and providing suitable clothing, we are able to give them the confidence they need to make a positive first impression.
Our environment
Treedom
In partnership with environmental charity Treedom, for each new member of the Sigma Connected team, we are giving a tree to farmers in Tanzania, Ecuador and Madagascar, with the aim of helping them with food and shelter while helping us become carbon neutral.
As part of this initiative, new Sigma Connected employees in the UK, SA and Australia are given a virtual tree to plant in the Sigma Forest. The gift recipient of each tree receives a clear account of the project activities from the beginning and is regularly updated on what is achieved thanks to their commitment.
Our people
With a diverse workforce in three countries, we want to ensure that everyone in our team has a voice, with a no-blame culture ensuring we are able to progress together.
Sigma Connected women.
Committed to gender diversity, we strive to provide an inclusive environment from the top down where women feel understood and respected as professionals and individuals.
We have launched a global initiative, Sigma Women, which ensures the promotion of gender equality.
