Compass Group UK & Ireland became the 1000th company to sign the Armed Forces Covenant.
Compass Group’s Armed Forces Covenant signing took place on 4th July at a ceremony on board HMS Belfast attended by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and Compass Group UK & Ireland MD Dennis Hogan.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
“Companies such as Compass Group UK & Ireland are helping to ensure those who serve or have served our country, get the treatment and recognition they deserve. Their support is hugely valued.
“In turn, these companies benefit from the skills, experience, professionalism and dedication that that these men and women bring to their organisation.”
The 1000th signing shows that support for Armed Forces personnel in the workplace is growing steadily across industry sectors under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Since its inception in 2013, the #ArmedForcesCovenant has been helping to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for Reservists, Service and ex-Service personnel and their families, when accessing goods and services.
Some examples of this in practice include:
- An allowance for additional paid, or unpaid, leave for mobilised Reservists in HR policies.
- Freezing the mobile phone contracts of Armed Forces personnel and their families posted overseas, and waiving cancellation fees.
- Allowing personnel to keep their car insurance no claims bonus when posted overseas.
Businesses and organisations of any size, and in any industry, can publicly declare their support for Armed Forces personnel, regardless of whether they currently employ a member of the Armed Forces community.
You can find out which organisations already signed the Armed Forces Covenant at armedforcescovenant.gov.uk. The website, which launched last month, makes it possible to view the documents specifying how each organisation has pledged to support the Armed Forces community.
East Anglia RFCA works with businesses on behalf of the Ministry of Defence to support and advise on Defence-related business initiatives. Our region covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
If you’d like to get involved but you’re not sure how to get started, ask Kristina about the benefits of signing the Armed Forces Covenant as a business. She can be contacted by phone or by email.