5 November 2013

Responsible Business Awards 2014 Workshop

www.bitc.org.uk

Business in the Community

We are the largest business-led charity committed to building resilient communities, diverse workplaces and a more sustainable future. Working with our 800 plus members, we work locally, nationally and internationally to transform businesses and transform communities. We believe that responsible leadership is the ability to balance doing both.
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We offer our members

Practical support to help them to integrate responsible business practices:
Training and advisory services

We ask our members

To work together to tackle key social and environmental issues in five campaigning areas:

Benchmarking and management tools Education & Young People Practical Information and Research Employment Enterprise & Culture

Brokerage services to reach their Marketplace Sustainability local community Workplace & Employees Networking and events
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Introductions

Warm-up exercise

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The Responsible Business Awards

Showcase the best of responsible business in action.
UKs longest-running (now in 17th year). Most respected corporate responsibility awards (robust and assured by AD Little). Designed for business by business. Rigorously assessed by peers.

Shine a spotlight on businesses that are positively addressing issues to build resilient communities, diverse, skilled and healthy workforces, and a sustainable future.

www.bitc.org.uk

The Awards are open to

Large, medium and small businesses. All BITC members. Any non-member private sector business. x voluntary or public sector organisations that are not BITC members. xSocial enterprises except for Santander Responsible Small Business of the Year and some of the Local Impact categories.

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Why enter
1. Publically validate your achievements:
National, Regional and Trade press (including a dedicated supplement in the FT). Stage presence at BITCs Award Gala Dinner series across UK in June, culminating in the Oscars of Responsible Business in July. Showcasing to our 800 plus member companies throughout the year.
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Why enter
2. Enhance ability to measure and demonstrate the impact of your responsible business activities: The process encourages an internal evaluation of the impact of your activities.

Expert advice from BITC on effectively measuring and demonstrating impact.

Free, tailored, expert feedback given to every eligible award entrant.

3. Compare your responsible business success across all sectors. 4. They are free to enter (n.b the Responsible Business category is open for members only).
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Shout out about your Big Tick or Win!

Via media

On your products and services

At events

On your website

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The National Categories

Open to all businesses based in the UK. Recognising businesses that can demonstrate positive business and societal/environmental impact in one or more of the campaigning areas. Programmes can be national or area specific.

A two-stage peer assessed process to identify a:

long list (known as a Big Tick). Award Short list and ultimately. Award Winner.

Celebrated at the Regional Gala Dinners across UK (Big Ticks) & the National Responsible Business Gala (Category winners).
www.bitc.org.uk

See handout for full category list

Local Impact Categories

Tackling a range of issues not covered by our National categories.

Run in one or several regions depending on a particular regional focus.

Open to all businesses operating in relevant area.

A one-stage peer assessed process to identify a Local Impact Winner per category.
Celebrated at the Regional Award Gala Dinner.

www.bitc.org.uk

See handout for full category list

Re-accrediting
Received a Big Tick in 2013? You can retain this accolade for another year by:

Completing short application form.

Demonstrate continued impact.

N.B. some categories from 2013 are not running this year. However, any companies that were awarded a Big Tick in those categories in 2012/2013 are still eligible to re-accredit that Big Tick in 2014.

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What makes a good award entry

Ability to demonstrate positive impact using qualitative and quantitative evidence. Impact on both society/environment and business. Measurable KPIs, identified target groups.

Engagement with a variety of stakeholder, senior advocates.

Emphasis will be put on evidence of longer-term impacts (at least over one year). Programmes under a year old may still apply, but it might make them less competitive against other entries. Please look at each categorys guideline doc for specific criteria.
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What happens at assessment?

The assessors hold a senior position in business and have an active knowledge of CR policies and practices.

They are trained up by BITC on the day, before reading, assessing and scoring the applications.
More than one assessor will asses each application, and a final score is decided upon in a group discussion. Feedback notes are prepared for each application using the assessors comments. With all of the scores finalised, those applications reaching a certain score will be awarded a Big Tick.

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Top tips from a 2013 Assessor

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The application form

Section 1: Company and programme details. Section 2: What are you doing (20% of total score).

Section 3: How are you doing it (20% of total score).

Section 4: What have you achieved? (60% of total score). Section 5 (only for some): Partner verification from (non-scoring). Additional Requirements - CEO sign off tick box plus a short quote but must be included for an application form to be accepted.
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See participant's workbook

Quantifying your evidence

Wherever possible use quantitative and qualitative evidence to back up, describe or explain the impacts that you are detailing in your application. Quantitative evidence 89% of employees are more motivated to work for the company as a result of this programme.

Qualitative evidence X employee I am more committed to the company because of the x programme and my involvement in it.
Images and Info-graphics used to support the narrative not replace it. See participant's workbook

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Inputs, Outputs and Impacts

Inputs = whats contributed What the business puts into the programme/initiative, e.g. cash; employee time; gifts and in-kind support; management costs. Outputs = what happens The direct and immediate activity and results achieved by deploying the input, e.g. numbers helped, activities held, awareness amongst customers, additional funding etc Impacts = what changes How has this made a difference to society (e.g. increase in pupils reading level) and to business (e.g. improved business performance) as a result of the output. www.bitc.org.uk See accompanying handout

Scoring Guide

Refer to scoring guide template in participant's workbook

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Analysing Entries
1. Read through entry A & B (30 mins).
2. In pairs, and using the scoring guide, have a go at scoring both entries - focus on the quality of evidence, type of evidence, relevance of evidence, balance of evidence (15 mins). 3. Group discussion - see next slide (15 mins).

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See handout

Now discuss as a group

Does the summary (section 2.4) give you a good top line idea of what the company is doing? Do you understand the business and social benefits of both programmes as described? Is their use of evidence:
Relevant

Sufficient
Good balance of quantitative and qualitative

What other evidence would you have liked to see?

Do you think this entry received a Big Tick?

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Hearing from a Big Tick Company

Session 4: Learning from a Big Tick Winner

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The Awards Process

Shortlisted entrants asked to present in London

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Submitting your entry

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Celebrating your results

Media announcement of the 2014 Big Ticks. Communication pack with Big Tick e-Planter. Award case study stories profiled on BITC website. Celebration at our Regional Gala dinners in June. High profile announcement of the overall national category winners at our National Gala Dinner in July attended by over 1,000 senior business leaders, VIPs and media.

Opportunities throughout the year to profile your great story at BITC events.

www.bitc.org.uk

We are here to help

Go to www.bitc.org.uk/awards for details on categories, how to enter, re-accreditation, and the Gala Dinners. Discuss the category options with your Corporate Adviser. Call our category experts (details on website) for some 121 time. Join a category specific webinar in Dec/Jan (details on website). Email/call our central awards team for any queries. awards@bitc.org.uk Tel: 0207 566 8668
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How was it for you

To help us ensure future Award Workshops meet participants needs, please take a couple of minutes to complete a very quick feedback form.

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Good luck with your award entry(ies)!

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