Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

Ruby's Bakery Ltd are committed to ensuring that any business undertakings are conducted as ethically as possible by following the policy below.

Who we are and what we do

Ruby's Bakery Ltd are a family run and owned wholesale bakery, providing cakes and sweet treats to businesses such as garden centres, farm shops, cafés, restaurants and smaller wholesalers throughout the UK. The majority of the business is owned by Wendy Sullivan and the remaining shares are owned by other family members who work within the business.

Looking after employees

We have a great team of loyal and dedicated staff, some of whom have been with us from the beginning, all working hard to make the fabulous cakes our customers know and love. We make sure we look after our staff by following these guidelines:

• We are an Equal Opportunities Employer as per the Human Rights Act 2010.
• We make sure our staff and suppliers' staff have the correct measures in place to be in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
• All employees receive full in-house training, as well as specialist training relevant to their job roles.
• Health and Safety policies and procedures are in place to protect our employees.
• Staff have every opportunity to personally develop when working at Ruby's Bakery Ltd. We strongly believe working to a team's strength makes a happy team.
• We clearly communicate all Bakery rules and procedures to keep staff and customers safe.
• Staff are paid correctly and on time, and wages exceed the National Minimum or Living Wage dependent on their age.
• We offer a range of staff benefits, such as 24/7 doctors on call, reduced gym membership, a pension scheme, cash-back health care plans, discounted shopping, small gifts to recognise moments of 'brilliance' and even a free birthday cake each year!
• We provide uniform for staff, which is laundered on site, and have suitable break areas with free coffee, tea, filtered water and other available drinks.
• We have HR procedures in place to ensure fair treatment of staff — including sickness, disciplinary and maternity policies. Any issues are dealt with appropriately and in line with employment law.
• We are an understanding employer who works with our staff to make sure they are working in a happy environment. We also occasionally offer lunches or breakfasts as an extra thank you for their hard work.

Looking after customers

It is so important to us that we look after our customers. To make sure they have a positive and lasting impression of Ruby's Bakery Ltd, we follow these guidelines:

• We employ our own drivers to deliver our products — we believe in building relationships with our customers at all levels, and good customer service is high on our agenda.
• We believe all of our customers should be treated with the utmost respect, and if there is an issue it is resolved as quickly as possible.
• We actively listen to our customers and their feedback.
• We check in with customers to make sure everything is as they expect.
• Although mistakes can happen — we are only human — we make sure 99% of the time we deliver when and what we say we are going to deliver.
• Ruby's Bakery Ltd is SALSA certified and rated 5 out of 5 by food trading standards, so our customers can buy our products with total confidence and peace of mind that we conform to the highest food safety standards.
• We follow strict GDPR guidelines and have a GDPR policy to protect customers, staff and the public.
• We actively contact customers with offers, invoices, statements and general correspondence on a regular basis (following GDPR guidelines).

Suppliers' standards

It is vital that we use good suppliers and maintain good working relationships with them. To make sure this is achieved, we follow these guidelines:

• We make sure our suppliers provide evidence that they adhere to the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
• We make sure our suppliers operate in line with the Bribery Act 2010.
• All our suppliers are UK based and are checked for their food safety measures, holding either BRC, SALSA or similar accreditations suitable for their industry.
• We pay all of our suppliers in a timely fashion, within the agreed terms.
• We make sure our suppliers have a CSR policy in place.
• We are committed to clear communication with suppliers.

Protecting the environment

It is important to Ruby's Bakery Ltd to commit to reducing the environmental impact that our business activities may have. We do this by following these guidelines:

• We have a "reuse and recycle" scheme for our customers, which involves collecting any cardboard boxes we have delivered, re-using them if possible or recycling them. General waste is recycled weekly, but if we can reuse an item, we do — even stationery is stored in plastic tubs that once housed fruit jams!
• We measure all water used, via a water-measuring device attached to our taps, helping us reduce water wastage.
• Although we would love to be plastic free, we have found the shelf life of our products does not hold if not stored in the plastic containers we sell them in. We do make sure the plastic we use is recycled and recyclable, and any card or paper used to wrap our products can also be recycled.
• We encourage greener transport:
  • We encourage staff to walk, cycle, car share or use public transport to get to work where possible. We also offer the "cycle to work" programme, enabling staff to purchase a bike and pay it back monthly in their wage packet.
  • Although we do not use electric vehicles yet, we plan our routes to make sure they are as economical to the environment as possible.

Community engagement

As a business, we actively support local and national charities and communities each year. Examples of this are:

• Setting aside a budget each year to provide local charities with support. In previous years we have worked with Albion in the Community, South East Ambulance Services and local food banks.
• Supporting local schools with donations of products for their fairs, and enrolling SEND children for work experience placements.
• Actively supporting national charities with a yearly budget, chosen by staff. Charities such as Diabetes UK, MIND and Dementia UK have been supported in the past.

Measurement

Our management team monitor and make sure our goals are met and that we are fulfilling our CSR policy. Our SALSA independent audit checklist also ensures the majority of our CSR policy is being adhered to.