Thomas & Thomas is pleased to announce that it has joined the Good Business Charter.

What is the GBC?

The Good Business Charter promotes not only better working conditions for employees, but a commitment to paying taxes, caring for the environment, listening to customers and inviting feedback, and treating suppliers with respect – all of which we believe are important to running a responsible and ethical business.

What does being accredited involve?

Thomas & Thomas is committed to the 10 components of the Good Business Charter:

1. Real Living Wage
   The GBC requires all employers to pay all directly-employed staff the real living wage and pay or have a plan in place, with achievable actions, to pay regularly-contracted staff the real living wage as set out by the Living Wage Foundation.
2. Fairer Hours and Contracts
   A fair approach to zero-hour contracts, including fair shift scheduling and cancellation policy, and proper consideration given to contracts with guaranteed hours.
3. Employee Well-being
   Clear, fair and transparent policies that support and encourage employee well-being and ban unreasonable penalties for legitimate sickness.
4. Employee Representation
   The GBC requires all employers to engage with worker representatives and to ensure there is a voice that represents employees around the boardroom table.
5. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
   The GBC asks organisations to show how they review and track their EDI data over time, comparing it to a baseline. This helps to identify and address any areas of disadvantage or discrimination.
6. Environmental Responsibility
   The GBC requires businesses to commit to an environmental policy to demonstrate they are committed to reducing their environmental impact and continually improving performance.
7. Pay Fair Tax
   The GBC requires businesses to commit to paying their taxes, not engage in tax avoidance and commit to be transparent in their relationship with HMRC.
8. Commitment to Customers
   The GBC requires businesses to publish their commitment to their customers on their website. Businesses will be expected to gather and monitor customer feedback and report the results to their board.
9. Ethical Sourcing
   The GBC requires businesses to commit to the standards set out in the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code for sourcing through a process of continuous due diligence.
10. Prompt Payment to Suppliers
    The GBC requires businesses to sign the government’s Prompt Payment Code. Launched in December 2024, it is a voluntary code of practice in the UK that aims to improve payment practices between businesses and their suppliers.

Living up to our values

The Good Business Charter is a clear mandate for conducting work with honesty, decency and integrity, and is reflective of our company ethos. We are proud to be a member and a champion of good working practice.