Community

With a team of more than 850 people across Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, the Collection House Group is firmly committed to the communities in which we operate.

For us, this starts with a deep-rooted commitment to ethical and compliant business practices. It continues with a focus on providing a rewarding work environment for our employees, for their benefit as well as their families and local communities. It extends to supporting community organisations and causes, and to being mindful of our impact of the environment.

In 2014, the Group formalised this approach with the development of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy.

Our strategy is guided by the International Standard ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility (ISO 26000), which provides a best practice framework upon which to base our program. We support this principle’s belief that an organisation’s performance in relation to the society in which it operates, and its impact on the environment, has become a critical part of measuring its overall performance and ability to continue operating effectively.

We have adopted a number of ISO 2600's core subjects of social responsibility and review our objectives annually under its guidance. Reports on our outcomes are available below.

1. Supporting the Community
   1. Partner with the Financial Basics Foundation to deliver financial literacy educational programs in secondary schools, and explore opportunities to tailor their financial literacy programs for CLH staff and customers
   2. Continue our collaboration with WEstjustice on the Restoring Financial Safety family violence and financial security project
   3. Explore additional opportunities to partner with not-for-profit community organisations
2. Protecting the Environment
   1. Increase the renewable energy component of total energy consumption across our sites
   2. Continue our trend of reducing paper consumption through improved efficiencies, implementing digital processes that replace the use of paper, and increasing staff awareness of wasteful paper consumption practices
   3. Embed CSR criteria into the procurement process: include an evaluation of CSR practices when assessing new contracts and suppliers
3. Respect for the Law
   1. Continue to learn from financial counsellors to enhance how our Hardship Assistance Team engage with financially vulnerable customers
   2. Continue support for the ongoing evolution of the National Hardship Register
   3. Complete an annual review of our alignment with ISO 26000 to ensure we remain consistent with its guidance
4. Engaging Stakeholders
   1. Financial counsellors:
   2. Continue our support of financial counselling services
   3. Government:
   4. Continue our work with government regulators to generate positive outcomes for both industry and stakeholders
   5. Employees:
   6. Increase participation in our Workplace Giving Program
   7. Increase participation in our Community Volunteering Program
   8. Introduce an annual CEO’s Community Awards to recognise individuals’ commitment to their local communities
   9. Customers:
   10. Expand our offerings to customers experiencing financial hardship through creating Safe Horizons