Three ‘Covenants’ T
he newly introduced Corporate Covenant came into effect in June of this year and is designed to complement the Armed Forces Covenant and sit alongside the Community Covenant.
But what is the Armed Forces Covenant? The Armed Forces Covenant is the moral obligation of the nation and society towards personnel and families of the Armed Forces. It is the Community Covenant that then provides a mechanism for local authorities and communities to express support for the Armed Forces community and the newly developed Corporate Covenant allows businesses and charitable organisations likewise to express their support, and commit to ways in which they too can provide support.
The New Corporate Covenant
A corporate covenant is a written and publicised voluntary pledge from businesses and charitable organisations who wish to demonstrate their concrete support for the Armed Forces community.
What might this include? All corporate covenants include a core statement of commitment that those adopting the scheme sign up to. The two key principles are that:
• no member of the Armed Forces community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen
• in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate, especially for the injured or bereaved
Each organisation is also encouraged to offer support in ways most appropriate to their situation and capacity, with the pledge document including options for them to sign up to.
For example, a business or charity might wish to promote their organisation as Armed Forces friendly, through participation in Armed Forces Day, or through exclusive discounts to personnel and members of their family. Larger organisations may wish to actively seek to employ serving reservist personnel for the skills they have or strive to support the employment of those who have left the Services and/or their spouses.
Who would sign a corporate covenant? A corporate covenant might be adopted by a business or charitable organisation that already employs members of the Armed Forces community or the organisation might
2 Envoy Autumn 2013
simply wish to acknowledge publicly its support for the Services.
What advantages are there for the company? Membership of the corporate covenant scheme offers companies and organisations the opportunity to build a reputation as a forces friendly business at
a time when public support for the Armed Forces is high.
The Armed Forces community can also contribute real value to an organisation, both as employees, who bring a wealth of skills and experience, and as customers.
The corporate covenant scheme encourages the Armed Forces community to do their bit to nurture this two way relationship and are asked to be up front about who they are thereby building an open relationship with their employer.
The MoD also has its part to play and has pledged to continue to support business needs, including the provision of training and support to those leaving the Armed Forces as they transition out of the Service.
More information The Covenant Team are always keen to hear from businesses and charitable organisations who may wish to explore the opportunity to participate in the corporate covenant. More details can be found on the
GOV.UK website.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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