FAQs: Social Value

Community Benefits

Does Open eLMS typically provide community benefits to its clients?

Open eLMS are passionate about the power that education has to level the playing field and encourage social mobility. Open eLMS can contribute to this goal by offering the client a learning portal for the local community.

Open eLMS will freely set up and host a public facing portal where learning will be made available to encourage financial inclusion and teach life skills. This learning will either get people back to work or enable self-improvement.

People in the local community will be able to set up accounts for a variety of learning needs.

Employee Benefits

What socially aware characteristics are present in the business?

Open eLMS is a socially aware company, donating 20% of profits back to its employees and spending a significant amount of time each year on socially aware free projects. The company has issued a number of free courses to assist with social causes, the most recent being the Coronavirus Awareness course, now used globally to help combat the disease - and Black Lives Matter - see https://openelms.com/course-list/ - to increase awareness of this important issue in society and business.

Environmental Benefits - Carbon Offsetting

How does Open eLMS manage/mitigate negative climate change impacts associated with the production, distribution, and disposal of the learning experience software?

Open eLMS commits, where possible, to use green energy providers. This does not leave a zero carbon footprint, as green energy is not used at all work locations due to lack of availability.

To this end, senior management contribute a proportion of their salary to carbon reduction projects through payroll giving. No analysis has been carried out to quantify this, but it is pretty certain that such offsetting activities would produce a new zero carbon footprint of the company as a whole. The company's carbon footprint is audited annually and the carbon offset each year.

Environmental Benefits - Carbon Reduction

Is Open eLMS a carbon dioxide reducing company?

Open eLMS is a net carbon reducer and to this end offset the carbon via donations to a tree planting scheme. The company has set up a scheme to plant trees to offset 5,000 Kg of carbon every month (far and above the 2,984 Kg emitted by the business in 2022).

This gives an estimate of Open eLMS a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) of 24,192 Kg CO2e/y.

What carbon reduction measures are in place which affect day to day operations?

All employees are aware of the need to reduce carbon consumption, to this end they undertake ISO 5001 training and attest to the company's Environmental & Sustainability Policy (see Appendix for details).

Open eLMS is passionate about protecting the environment and adhering to its responsibilities to reversing climate change. In 2020, the company went paperless and continues to take measures to reduce its carbon footprint and work towards zero emissions (e.g. using a zero emissions energy supplier for gas and electricity). KPIs which have significantly reduced in the last year are:

• Brochure expenditure
• Stationary expenditure
• Postage expenditure
• Mileage expenditure
• Face to face meetings

All suppliers are made aware of - and asked contractually to adhere to the company's code of conduct.

Climate Change

Describe four ways in which climate change could be addressed through a contract with Open eLMS.

1. The Open eLMS Classroom service allows system users to conduct face to face training, toolbox talks, and presentations without needing to travel to a training centre, etc. This has huge benefits in reducing carbon emissions and energy costs surrounding running a training facility.
2. Open eLMS uses Azure Cloud with market leading carbon reduction policies (zero deforestation, 100% renewable energy by 2025, water positive and zero waste by 2030).
3. The company practices market leading environmental policy (including subsidising home working heating if using a totally green energy supplier).
4. Open eLMS are committed to reversing the effects of climate change, the company has set up a payroll giving scheme from which senior managers have committed up to 5% of their salary to carbon reduction charities.

What environmental/climate change measures are taken by Open eLMS Ltd.?

All employees undertake ISO 5001 / ISO 14001 training and attest to the company's Environment Policy which detail the company's 'Energy Management Policy'.

Open eLMS is passionate about protecting the environment and adhering to its responsibilities to reversing climate change. In 2020 the company went paperless and continues to take measures to reduce its carbon footprint and work towards zero emissions (e.g. using a zero emissions energy supplier for gas and electricity). Key KPIs which have significantly reduced in the last year are:

• Brochure expenditure
• Stationary expenditure
• Postage expenditure
• Mileage expenditure
• Face to face meetings

All suppliers are made aware of - and asked contractually to adhere to our code of conduct (available from the footer of Open eLMS' website). This section of the code sets out Open eLMS's environmental efforts.

The Open eLMS Classroom service allows system users to conduct face to face training, toolbox talks and presentations without needing to travel to a training centre etc. This has huge benefits in reducing carbon emissions and energy costs surrounding running a training facility.

EMS Training

What internal EMS training is in place within Open eLMS?

All employees undertake ISO 5001/ ISO 14001 training and attest to the company's Environment Policy which details the company's 'Energy Management Policy'.

Social Enterprise

Do employees own the business?

Open eLMS is run for the benefit of its employees, where half the staff have significant shares in the business and all staff share in the profits of the business. Outside these numeration schemes, ALL staff get paid well in excess of the UK National Living Wage rates. This leads to high staff retention rates of good employees, with most employees having worked for the company in excess of 5 years.

Wellbeing

How does Open eLMS protect the wellbeing of its employees and subcontractors?

Open eLMS provides support for the mental well being for its staff and clients. The company provides a free course on Mental Wellbeing and Mindfulness (available at https://openelms.com/portfolio/mental-wellbeing-and-mindfulness/).