Allstate Northern Ireland in the Community

This program was initially management driven but it is now part of the employee empowerment ethos. Its main objective is to have a positive corporate impact in relation to Workplace, Community and Environment through 6 main pillars of success being:

• An employer of choice - through a progressive and innovative award winning program of work life balance
• An equal opportunities company - an exemplar award winning program of diversity and equality
• A leader in employer well being - through a program of promotion of awareness and action
• An Environmentally Friendly Company - in relation to promotion of awareness and action
• A Leading Community Action Company - through a wide range of initiatives including community involvement and fund raising
• Migrant Worker Integration Programme

Allstate Northern Ireland is proud of its membership and association with Business in the Community in Northern Ireland, through which it has promoted opportunities for women in the workplace and has been involved in a significant number of award winning community initiatives including Time to Compute and Time to Read. These initiatives involve employees volunteering to teach children computer skills and to help them to improve their reading.

Allstate Northern Ireland partnered with Belfast GEMS, a local community group to develop the "Talk-IT" program. This programme provides migrant workers with English classes to further improve their spoken and written English.

The company also partners with local schools to provide students with career advice on the IT Industry.

For Allstate Northern Ireland, the CSR programme is about the integrity with which the company governs itself, how it fulfils its mission and the values it has and what it wants to stand for. Allstate NI recognizes the growing significance of being an ethically and socially responsible organization and is driving forward an enhanced way of doing business in Northern Ireland through its engagement in a multi award winning corporate social responsibility program in which all managers actively participate.

Charitable Giving

Allstate NI Charities Committee was set up to raise awareness and funds for local and national charities. All funds raised are shared between the Big 5, 5 charities that have been chosen by employees to be the charities represented for the year.

The Charity Committee meets on a regular basis, to respond to employee fundraising proposals, and encourage involvement in fundraising activities. They aim to organize at least one event every quarter and these include events such as:

• Coffee and Donut day to celebrate the 4th July
• Tour d' Allstate - a take on the famous Tour de France, only this is more a Tour de Belfast and the surrounding countryside
• Belfast Marathon
• Annual Football Tournament

Allstate NI employees also support the Give as you Earn Scheme (GAYE).

Environmentally Friendly

Allstate NI has a dedicated Environmental Committee that champions environmental issues within the company. A sample of the Environmental Committee initiatives include:

• Energy Efficiency - lights are placed on timers to prevent waste of electricity overnight.
• Printers are set as default to double-sided printing. Allstate NI charge for polystyrene coffee cups for take-away purposes and paid for reusable thermos cups for all employees.
• Recycling is actively encouraged through the provision of receptacles for plastic, aluminum and paper.
• Cycling to work and car sharing is encouraged by the company and since 2003, the company has dedicated bicycle racks in the adjacent multi-storey car park for usage by employees.
• The Committee holds awareness sessions and invite charities and environmental agencies into the offices over break times and lunch to provide information on how employees can live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.