With CSR really embedded within Smile’s DNA, we announced not too long ago that we were shortlisted for the CSR Initiative of the Year award at the APSCo Awards for Excellence 2019. The CSR Initiative of the Year Award applauds the actives that a company, like us, has undertaken throughout the year in order to have a lasting positive social, environmental and ethical impact. 

We are proud to say that this is something that we take very seriously, so much so that it is built into our values. Winning one of these awards is one of the most impressive types of industry recognition a company can achieve, and we feel proud to say that in 2017 we won APSCo’s Recruitment Company of the Year and this year is the first time that we were shortlisted for the CSR Initiative of the Year award.

The winners were announced at a celebratory, invite-only dinner on Tuesday 8th October, at the Coutts in London which both our Managing Director Katy and Director Emma attended.  

So, onto the important stuff…. 

Who were the winners? Well, we’ve only gone and done it! We are so thrilled to announce that this year we are the winners of the CSR Initiative of the Year award 2019!

We are APSCo Compliance+ accredited, meaning we go beyond statutory safeguarding standards and aim for excellence and being given this award means so much to us as we at Smile really do place great value on our community and charity work.

This year we have dressed down on Fridays, enjoyed two bake-offs, walked the Malvern Hills, climbed and ran (e.g. completing the Wolf Run) for various different charities. As well as this we also host training (e.g. Cover Supervisor training) and first aid courses for our candidates to enhance their CPD (Continuous Professional Development). 

Additionally, we have supported several of our schools by running interview technique workshops and CV writing courses for the students. We love providing an extra pair of hands at sports days, schools fairs and on school trips as well, as it’s a nice change in routine for us which is an added bonus but most importantly it’s something we feel helps set us apart from the rest and shows that we love to go the extra mile for our schools!

Fingers crossed that we will be shortlisted and be able to win more awards next year and in the future!