Our Approach to Issues and Opportunities

We live in a world where there are ongoing and emerging issues and opportunities that impact on all businesses and the people who work within them.  We are continuously reviewing and evaluating what we are prepared to commit to do in response to these issues and threats and have developed both broad approaches and specific policies that define how we will work with our candidates, clients and the wider communities that we operate in. 

The following approaches are to provide readers with a view of those issues and opportunities we believe we are all facing, and give an insight into the policies we have put in place in response.

Our Approach to the Environment and Sustainability

At Alpha, we recognise the social, economic, and environmental responsibilities organisations have to society and as a business we want to positively impact the world we live in. For us, this means caring for our people, driving sustainable and profitable growth, and being environmentally responsible.

People are at the heart of everything we do and we look out for and after those within Alpha and wider community. The safety of our people is vital. Alpha employees are provided with free access to wellbeing support services should they need it and we adhere to strict health and safety protocols to protect both our employees in the office and our contractors out on their placements. Equal employment opportunities are central to our hiring process and we strive to create a workplace culture where all people feel welcome. We want our employees to grow at Alpha and encourage continuous learning and training to help our people achieve their full potential.

We take a personable approach to communicating with our Alpha network, opting for face-to-face or phone communication where possible. We value keeping our candidates updated on their progress towards a role from beginning to end and check in on those we have placed in a role to see how they are doing. Our genuine desire to interact with our people has proved beneficial and is reflected in our long-term relationships with our clients, candidates, and employees, and has been recognised in our achievements winning Best Employer from the Newmarket Business Association Awards and as a finalist in the NZ EEO Trust Diversity awards.

Doing the right thing is a fundamental belief here at Alpha and, as a business, we feel it’s important to do our part to assist organisations who provide services to those in times of need. Our partnerships with Ronald McDonald House and Radio Network Special Children’s Christmas Party allow us to give back to our communities and offering our recruitment services at cost or pro-bono to various social enterprises helps to support organisations dedicated to addressing some of New Zealand’s most pressing social issues.

In our industry, and as an organisation whose people largely operate within offices, it can be easy to think our actions do not have environmental consequences. But no matter how small the impact may seem, we believe looking after the planet is a collective effort – one where we all make climate conscious decisions towards the factors within our control, no matter the size.

At Alpha, we encourage the use of public transport, walking, and holding virtual meetings where possible, we promote digital distribution of documents rather than printing, we reduce our landfill contributions through recycling (including soft plastics) and compost bins, and we make an effort to work with like-minded suppliers who share our sustainability values. Additionally, we are in the process of measuring our emissions and implementing an emissions reduction plan to further enhance our ability to be an environmentally responsible business.

Doing business the Alpha way is about considering our people, planet, and profit and working to help all three thrive. We set high standards for ourselves. We are a long time member of the RCSA, whose mission is to enhance lives, organisations, and the environment through the world of work, and we acknowledge that these are strategically aligned to our business.

Our Approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We adhere to a policy of equal opportunity to all prospective and current employees of Alpha, and in selection and presentation of candidates to our clients for all available positions.

This means that, in line with the Human Rights Act 1993, Alpha will educate and introduce policies that prevent discrimination against any employees and our candidates due to age, sex, race, religion (or beliefs), sexual orientation or disability.

We will also setup processes and policies to assist us with ensuring that all qualified persons are given due employment consideration when there are discussions with clients about roles, or in our own organisation. We have also committed that our employees will be given opportunities for advancement according to their abilities and that if we do this well we will have an engaged, inclusive and diverse workforce.

We understand that workplaces can be challenging for people who are different. We are dedicated to ensuring all of our processes and procedures are fair to all staff in our organisation. This is to ensure workplaces are places where our staff have a fair share of voice and feel included in the decisions that impact on them, and are free of harassment, bullying and victimisation.

We understand the value to organisations of having inclusive and diverse cultures and will support our clients in their diversity goals provided that these do not cause any situation where any of the principles of the Human Rights Act 1993 are transgressed.

Our Approach to Reaching out to the Next Generation

As a long established staffing organisation with previous experience in working with young people, we have seen the value of making an effort to reach back and provide guidance and support early enough to enable them to reach forward into careers that they might not otherwise have thought of, or not been able to move into without our support.

Our divisions have been doing this in different ways, in different communities and to different levels over many years.  This year we have brought these together under one consistent program - Tae Whakamua - Reach Forward.  Tae Whakamua gives much more than a name to the program, it also provides it with a heart, with a framework that is explainable, and with pathways that our young people can walk. 

At the heart of Tae Whakamua is encouraging, enlightening and identifying for support, and providing that support to young people from communities, for instance Māori and Pasifika communities, where other support for them is limited or not available.

The reaction of schools and tertiary institutions we've moved into partnership with under Tae Whakamua has been amazing. We are now engaging with prospective employers to provide internship opportunities to these young people including those we have worked with in the past.