We’re absolutely delighted to have won the Business in the Community Scotland award – against some really strong competition! All of us in the team feel that this award win recognises Enterprise’s role as a progressive employer, which is something that each of us – and the rest of the ERAC family – are really proud of. We couldn’t have done it without the help of the Scottish Business in the Community team, who have been a true business partner. Their honest feedback has really shaped our approach and that’s helped to develop our community engagement in Scotland even further.
Over the previous years we’ve been runner-up and have always tried to take the feedback from the panel constructively, implementing their suggestions in the way we go about our business. This year all that hard work paid off!
Here are four areas that helped us win the award this year:
Charitable Work
Right from the start, our company founder, Jack Taylor instilled the importance of philanthropy – giving back to the community – into the company culture. In his lifetime he donated $850 million of his personal fortune to causes he believed in. Sadly Jack Taylor died recently at the age of 94, but his legacy lives on, and all Enterprise branches are able to partner with charitable organisations that are either local or personal to the employees – all of us are allocated paid time each year to work with our chosen charities.
Community Engagement
Every business that wants to thrive recognises how important it is to engage with the local community, and Enterprise in Scotland has taken care to grow organically, one community at a time. Our successful Graduate Management Training Programme helps develop leaders who want to run their own business as part of the local community – contributing through events, fundraising and outreach initiatives.
Environmental Commitment
We’re at the cutting edge of sustainable travel in Scotland and I’m co-chair of the Scotland 2020 Climate Group. This helps us to work with our business partners to offer sustainable travel solutions, shaping the products and services that Enterprise in Scotland is able to provide to the local community.
Responsibility and Values
At every internal Enterprise meeting, each of us updates the others on what we’re doing from the perspective of the company’s founding values. For example, each department head champions what’s called a ‘diversity strand’ – our Risk Manager and I are in charge of our LGBT strand – and each month we run an event where we invite customers and business partners to help drive the diversity agenda in Scotland. All employees at every level of the organisation join in events like this, ensuring each of us understand the real value of what we’re doing.
Graduate Recruitment
Growing businesses need to attract top talent and we’ve established very strong links with Scottish universities. We run regular mock assessment days and offer individual training to help undergraduates improve their interview skills.
I joined Enterprise 17 years ago and since then have acquired many new skills, helping build the business to the point where I feel I have a real stake in the company here in Scotland. I also feel that with the help of external stakeholders and the wider community I can help to develop the diversity agenda and shape the future of sustainable transport in Scotland. Both of these are evolving constantly and it’s vital that we at Enterprise stay at the centre of these conversations in Scotland, instead of sitting on the periphery.
These are the main reasons why I think we won the award this year, but there are many others. Enterprise has an open, inclusive culture that encourages employees to develop and learn new skills all the time, and we believe firmly that it’s possible to grow the business and play an important role in the local community at the same time. If that sounds like the kind of company you’d like to get involved with, then check out our great graduate opportunities, work placements and internships today.
