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General Information
Working at Footprint Ecology
At Footprint Ecology, we make a real effort to live by our values. All Footprint staff share a commitment to nature conservation, a passion for the natural world and a care for the wider environment.
Footprint Ecology is now an Employee Owned Company, meaning it owned by the employees via an Employee Ownership Trust. This gives employees a greater say in the direction of the business and a share of the profits.
Fairness & flexibility
Footprint Ecology aims to be a fair and flexible employer. We positively consider flexible working arrangements such as part-time working, compressed hours and hybrid working. Once an employee has been with us for six months, we contribute 10% of gross salary to their pension. Our leave allowance and parental leave are in excess of the statutory minimum and holiday entitlement increases with length of service.
Continuing professional development
We support employees’ continuing professional development, and ensure a spread of skills, by encouraging and funding training whether internal or external.
Wellbeing
We host a weekly subsidised yoga class to help staff with core strength and stress management. Tea & coffee at the office and staff social events such as Christmas parties are provided for staff.
Sharing and communication
All employees are involved in monthly team meetings and weekly briefings, not only to keep up with day to day matters but also to consider wider strategic aims of the company. There is an employee representative on the Employee Ownership Trust to allow employee input into the direction of the business. We have a collaborative and open working culture, with mutually supportive staff pooling their skills to produce the best results for our clients.
Vacancies & CVs
Vacancies are advertised on our website and via national jobs websites CJS and Environment Jobs. We welcome applications from all sectors of society and are an Equal Opportunities employer. We welcome speculative CVs from ecologists at all stages of their careers, and we really do place these on file and consult them when such opportunities arise. However please note that we do not accept approaches from recruitment agencies.
Please send applications for work or speculative CVs in confidence to our Practice Manager fenella@footprint-ecology.co.uk.
Subcontractors
Some of our more specialised work, and a lot of our fieldwork, is carried out by sub-contractors and associates. If you would like to be considered for sub-contracted work, please apply to Fenella as above.
Footprint and the Environment
As conservationists and environmentalists we recognise the links between biodiversity, conservation and sustainability, and as a company we are committed to minimising our environmental impact.
Inside the office
We work to minimise our impact in the office by:
- Reducing paper usage and recycling all waste paper, and we close the loop by only buying recycled stationery.
- Recycling as much of our other waste as possible including toner cartridges, batteries and plastics.
- Buying organic and/or local food, and organic, fairly traded beverages for the office. All food waste at the office is composted.
- Not wasting energy by over-heating the office, using natural cooling rather than air conditioning and making sure items not in use are turned off.
Outside the office
A particular impact relates to our travel carbon footprint. We aim to reduce this by:
- Minimising car use by using public transport wherever possible. Unavoidable car travel is now done in our company EV.
- Replacing face to face meetings with Teams or Zoom.
- Encouraging cycle commuting by running a cycle purchase scheme.
- Encouraging fieldwork sub-contractors to carefully plan their accommodation and journeys, by paying a fixed sum for travel rather than unlimited mileage payments.
Carbon offset and Net Zero
We charge a small carbon offset fee on all contracts, relative to the amount and type of travel undertaken for the work. This money is placed in a ring-fenced fund that we use either to reduce our carbon emissions or to support relevant charities. In the past we have spent the money on improved lighting, a folding bike to allow us to complete journeys by public transport and AV equipment for better virtual meetings.
We are currently working towards net zero - watch this space!
Impacts on wildlife
We ensure that any fieldwork does not damage or disturb rare or sensitive wildlife. We practice good biosecurity to prevent the spread of non-native invasive species and damaging pathogens, e.g. Phytopthera.
Insurance
Footprint Ecology holds Public Liability and Employers Liability Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Contact us to discuss your project
We’re always ready to talk about your requirements, so please do get in touch today