Corporate Governance

Crest Nicholson values equality and diversity in employment and we select and promote employees based on their aptitudes and abilities, not their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, age or disability. Everyone is different and has something unique to offer. Our Equality and Diversity Policy ensures that all employees and job applicants are accorded equal opportunities for recruitment, remuneration, access to benefits, training and promotion, together with an on-going emphasis on monitoring and developing the diversity of our workforce.

We recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce and pro-actively seek to create and maintain a balanced workforce at all levels and across all divisions. Workplace discrimination or harassment will not be tolerated and will be handled under our disciplinary and grievance procedures.

We monitor exit interview information and our annual turnover and report the diversity breakdown of our staff in our annual report and in internal monthly management reports. Our Equality and Diversity policy is reviewed and up-dated regularly and is available here.

The Company expects its employees to behave in a professional way towards colleagues, supply chain partners and stakeholders; and treat people with dignity and respect. Our Harassment and Bullying Policy works to ensure the organisation has procedures in place to minimise and eliminate any form of harassment or bullying at work. Harassment or bullying can take many forms from relatively mild banter, or offensive language, to actual physical violence. The Company has a responsibility towards any employee who is subjected to this type of behaviour either at work or through the course of work; this includes at work organised social events.

In keep with the Bribery Act 2010, Crest Nicholson operates and maintains a number of policies and procedures to prevent bribery and corruption, including an anti-bribery and corruption policy, a gifts and entertainment policy and guidance around bribery risk areas. The Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy sets out a clear code of conduct for employees and supply chain partners to ensure they understand and conduct themselves in accordance with the legal regulations relating to bribery and corruption. Staff receive ongoing training on the Group’s policies in this area and the Act generally. Our policy is available to view here.

Our Whistleblowing Policy encourages employees and supply chain partners to report any concerns or malpractice to the organisation or through a free and independent helpline. Any person who raises an issue of concern will be treated with respect and will be assured that the matter will be properly and thoroughly investigated, and necessary actions taken. You can read our full Whistleblowing Policy here.

In addition to our Corporate Health and Safety Policy, which covers the safety of our employees and contractors while they carry out their roles, we also actively promote the general health and welfare of our permanent employees through a number of initiatives and measures. These include access to:

• private medical insurance
• a healthcare cash plan providing assistance with day-to-day health costs like prescriptions and discounted gym memberships
• a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme covering a range of issues at work and at home, including a confidential and professional counselling service
• an occupational health and safety service for managers to refer employees with long-term health concerns

Crest Nicholson's values, policies, and procedures form part of its formal contract with employees, both permanent and temporary. Policies and procedures are reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee and are communicated using appropriate media, including the Company intranet.

Staff engagement is important to Crest Nicholson. Information and changes that the Company wishes to communicate (including trading updates) are disseminated via various media as appropriate to the message, such as departmental briefings, road shows and one on one meetings, plus the Company intranet.

A wide range of legislation governs housing development, including Building Regulations, advertising and marketing, health and safety, environmental management, and employment practices. In many cases we go well beyond compliance requirements, setting our own internal high standards. Please see our Annual Report and financial statements for a summary of how we operate in compliance with prevailing laws and regulations.