Making a Difference to Society Effortlessly with Removals and Storage

We are all looking for value when looking to employ a service provider and furniture removals and storage is no different. But how do we define value? Of course, every removals company should tell you they provide you with a first-class service, with fully trained, qualified and experienced people, should it be any other way? We look for the BAR (British Association of Removers) badge, coupled with the Consumer Code of Practice recognised and monitored by Trading Standards, we may even consider the BSEN 12522 Quality Standard, these accreditations are both pro-active and reactive protectors for clients, including after service dispute resolution, brilliant but generic.

So to truly define a removals and storage supplier we need to scratch beneath the surface and not ask just if they are a good service provider but what makes them different and why?

We all want to play our part in making society better and believe it or not by choosing the right company you can have a major impact on your own community and society. Driven by the belief that paying employees at least the living wage as recognised by the Living Wage Foundation, with a guarantee of earning every week avoiding zero-hour employment terms and making them actively part of the decision making processes when it comes to how a company operates, means the team are totally engaged, trustworthy and focussed on delivering a good service. What is more, a company can have a strategy of employing people who are struggling on the periphery of society, taking them away from the benefits culture so that they are now not just employed, but employed on good wages and actively contributing to both their community, local economy and society. What’s more; a good company will actively engage in working with charities, community projects and good causes, making sure that their Social Impact benefits the whole community.

You can make a huge difference to not only your own experience of a removals service but other people’s lives as well by simply asking the right questions of your removals supplier– are the staff paid well? How do you engage them to ensure they are good other than training them well? Do you operate a zero-hours contract? Are the employees your own or subcontracted? Can you produce evidence of what you say?

It’s like Fairtrade for removals – removals with a heart– a win-win for everyone involved. The service is great, you may possibly pay a little bit more but the impact of your decision will impact on your community to you and your families benefit. It is becoming more and more apparent that people are swayed by this ethical approach, it is not uncommon for clients to specify this as their reason for choosing us.

At Anchor Removals Ltd we are the first removals company to promote ourselves as a Socially Responsible company with the long term mission to achieve delivering on social needs under the slogan #movingwithaheart. Our vision speaks for itself Moving People- Building Communities – Changing Lives

We believe we are the first removals company to pay the “real” Living Wage to all our operatives as recognised by the Living Wage Foundation. We have taken all our locally sourced employees off benefits with some coming off government support for the first time changing their lives forever. Our Social Impact for such a small company is immense through our community work with Reubens Retreat, Boothstown Junior Football Club and other good causes. We have committed over 1000 hours to community projects building the community in which we operate.

The idea of Anchor institutions supporting such a business by the simple act of providing contracts at a relatively low value within huge budgets has two outcomes, it encourages good practice throughout the small business community and creates a virtuous circle of good outcomes, in the end actually saving money.

A well-supported company, with good social values, will bring people off benefits reducing welfare costs, the fair pay structure brings in a tax take for the exchequer, it removes the black market and reduces lost tax revenue, with health support it reduces stress related to paying bills and surviving in poor families reducing strain on the NHS. This is only the beginning, just imagine with good health support practices, pension planning, family support mechanisms through confidential helplines and supportive employers, the cost savings to society could be immense.

According to UK government documents, there are 5.5 million businesses with 49 or fewer employees, they turnover £139 billions and account for 48% of all employment in the UK. If we could persuade Anchor Institutions to support just 1% of these businesses into the kind of good practice we deliver and moreover help us to improve even further the benefits are massive. For example, let us assume that we persuade just 0.1% of these companies to follow the right practices and those efforts provide just a mere 0.1% of total turnover benefit to society, the exchequer and the economy, we are talking about 5500 more businesses contributing £139 million.

“I chose Anchor Removals purely because of their position on paying the real Living Wage and no zero-hours contracts. I feel it is an obligation to ensure I play my part in making society better and this is the easiest way to do it and I got genuine value for my money! ” Dr Susan Talbot of Altrincham