Statement by the Directors on performance of their statutory duties in accordance with S172(1)
The directors of the company are required to give an annual statement on how they have discharged their duty under section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members, as a whole, and with wider regard to all stakeholder interests.
The directors take their responsibilities seriously and wish to act in good faith in promoting the long-term success of the group, its subsidiaries and all its stakeholders. The board and senior management team of the group meet on a monthly basis, with financial performance, operational matters, strategy, health and safety and business development being key topics discussed. The corporate governance policies are continually evolving, in order to maintain emphasis on high standards of business conduct and anchored around health and safety, corporate social responsibility and environmental and sustainable policies. The directors are committed to providing outstanding service delivery in every area of the business.
To deliver the long-term strategy and promote the success of the group, the directors seek to maintain a strong order book and pipeline of new work, and where possible enter into long term arrangements with customers which provides a strong base for the company’s long-term planning. Tenders for new work are carefully appraised to ensure the group remains competitive whilst protecting operating profit margins.
Engagement with stakeholders
As an employer, supplier, client and a member of a wider community, we know that our activities impact on the lives of others and that the quality of our relationships is determined by our actions. Relationships are important to us. As a family business, relationship building is central to our culture and values. These values guide the way we operate as a corporate citizen. We aim to be good members of the communities we operate in, providing opportunities for local individuals and businesses to tender for and undertake work on our contracts and we also give back to our local community through charity fundraising, volunteering and collections which benefit local charities and causes which are closely aligned with the company and its employees. A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy Group and CSR Working Group exists internally to establish an annual strategy for the group’s CSR activities and to monitor progress in line with its objectives.
Employees
Gratte Brothers employs over 450 people across a range of management, engineering and craft disciplines and its staff retention rate is an impressive 16 years. One of the company’s secrets is blending the knowledge and experience of long-serving members of staff with the enthusiasm for emerging technologies and ideas of the younger members of the team. An extensive training and development programme is also maintained, and always looking at ways to promote and develop its teams.
Employee engagement is established through regular staff surveys, the company’s newsletter and workshops on business related issues. Suggestions are solicited from staff through the company’s Excellence@Gratte digital comment card scheme and comment and questions on management data is invited quarterly.
Clients
Gratte Brothers’ clients come from a diverse range of sectors and all demand both quality and value from their service providers. As a group, Gratte Brothers is proud to be rated by its clients as reliable, collaborative, fair and proactive. In the region of 70% of turnover is from repeat business so the importance of constantly working with clients to ensure effective responses to change in the dynamic markets in which we work is understood and appreciated. To ensure that the group is constantly meeting its customers’ expectations, Gratte Brothers operates a formal customer satisfaction survey programme. At the end of key projects, clients are offered the opportunity to provide feedback in a structured interview with the Group Marketing Manager. This feedback is shared with Board and Project directors and informs the group’s continuous improvement process. These Customer Satisfaction Surveys are in addition to the regular business to business meetings held between directors and key clients.
Suppliers
Gratte Brothers values the important contribution made by its supply chain partners to its reputation for quality. The increasingly complex and specialist nature of mechanical, electrical and associated installations means that its operations depend on the standard of service it receives from its supply chain. Gratte Brothers’ supply chain partners are an essential part of the family business and the group is proud of the fair manner in which it engages and works with them. Feedback from customer satisfaction surveys is routinely shared with suppliers where it is relevant to them and the company engages with key members of its supply chain prior to projects commencing.
This provides an opportunity for them to understand key project deliverables and raise any questions they may have directly with the project teams.
D Gratte
Group Managing Director
12 December 2023
You can alternatively download a copy of our Section 172(1) Statement.
