As an organisation providing a vital service to millions of households across the UK, we are keen to be seen as a force for good within the communities we serve.
For us that means making it easier for people to stay warm, creating fairer opportunities to gain access to employment and education and helping to deliver a greener society, decarbonising our business, whilst helping to protect the natural world.
One way in which we do this is through our industry-leading employee volunteering programme. We offer all of our colleagues two-days of paid leave, on top of their holiday entitlements each year to volunteer to support good causes across our communities. Last year over 1,250 Cadent employees volunteered across a range of activities, including planting trees, creating green, natural spaces for local communities to enjoy, supporting food banks, painting and decorating community centres, supporting STEM education initiatives in schools and lots more.
We do this for many reasons. It is an opportunity to directly support people within the communities that we are a part of. Last year, more than 44,000 people directly benefited from the volunteering activities we took part in. It presents a fantastic opportunity to engage with a wide range of organisations and business leaders, creating links that we didn’t previously have.
And it is hugely important to our colleagues too.
A key highlight of a colleague survey we did this year was the high degree of pride so many of our colleagues feel for working for Cadent. Many explained how Cadent’s role within communities, including allowing individuals to contribute through volunteering, was a key factor behind that.
Employee engagement and satisfaction comes from a variety of sources, but we see clearly the importance that our people place on being able and supported to ‘do their part’ within communities. Volunteering also presents a brilliant opportunity for team building, creating a real sense of belonging within teams.
It allows people to play a different role within their teams, playing to strengths that they don’t always get to display within their core roles. For that reason, volunteering presents a genuine opportunity for development in individuals.
These attributes – of feeling pride in an employer, feeling part of a team, giving back and being given the time to do so – creates space away from the day-to-day challenges faced in the workplace, helping to provide a better work-life balance.
We are very proud of the benefits that we’ve been able to deliver into our communities through our volunteering programme, and very proud of every one of our volunteers. Each year, more and more of our colleagues are taking up the offer to volunteer and this year we hope to double the number of participants, in turn doubling the positive impact we have.
Volunteering is a key part of Cadent’s ‘Force For Good’ sustainability strategy – find out more here https://cadentgas.com/sustainability
Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.
Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.
Cadent manages the national gas emergency service free phone line on behalf of the gas industry - 0800 111 999*
Cadent Gas Ltd is owned by a consortium of global investors.
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