LeasePlan has become a member of the business charity Business in the Community (BITC).

The company says it reflects their commitment to ethical business practice. Membership of BITC will help guide day-to-day corporate and social responsibility (CSR) initiatives at LeasePlan. The company’s leadership is looking to benchmark CSR activity in 2014 and learn from examples of best practice from other BITC members.

LeasePlan already carries out a number of events in the local community and staff are given the option of donating their time on one working day to good causes each year. In 2013, employees took part in 319 of these community days. 

LeasePlan’s focus for 2014 is to continue these successful days, whilst extending initiatives in local communities to include skills transfer sessions. These will include staff offering advice and insight on accountancy, IT and project management. This supplements previous work undertaken by LeasePlan staff in decorating a hospital garden, painting a local primary school, and helping at a local women's refuge.  

Steve Moss, HR director at LeasePlan, said: “We are delighted to have joined with BITC and we’re looking forward to getting their expert input into our range of CSR initiatives.

“We take great pride in being an active part of the community in which we work and we are always looking for new ways for our staff to share their time and expertise with deserving causes.”

Stephen Howard, chief executive of Business in the Community, said: “We are delighted to welcome LeasePlan into membership of Business in the Community. It’s time for a new contract between business and society and responsible business behaviour is more important than ever in building a fairer society and a sustainable future for all. I look forward to supporting LeasePlan on its responsible business journey over the coming years.”