NOVUS CELEBRATES FAMILY BUSINESS WEEK

Novus, a family owned company dating back to 1897, is a national business built on family values. We are thrilled to be taking part in Family Business Week 2021, created by the Institute for Family Business (IFB) as a way of highlighting the role family businesses play in supporting local communities and the wider economic growth of Great Britain.

Currently being driven by the fourth and fifth generation of the Seddon family, we pride ourselves on our self-financing model and our ability to empower and inspire, whilst continuously delivering service excellence and value for money. We place a strong emphasis on being a responsible business and continually serving our wider communities – something which has earnt us national recognition at numerous industry awards.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought to light the key role businesses play in supporting those around them, and this community-focused approach plays a vital role in how we do business at Novus and how family businesses operate up and down the country.

Like many businesses, Novus was hit hard by the outbreak of Covid-19, with approximately 80 per cent of our usual services halted – with the exception of emergency repair work. However, after this initial reduction, the business began to grow once again as our clients gained more confidence in the economy.

It was under these difficult circumstances that we decided we wanted to play our part in the rebuilding of the country in the wake of the pandemic. We realigned our existing robust Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Engagement strategy to support the individuals and communities most impacted by the pandemic. From there, we joined forces with Business in the Community (BITC) as a partner for its Build Back Better campaign by launching the campaign within our corporate social responsibility strategy – allowing it to reach more people across more communities.

While giving back to the communities in which we work has always played a vital role in how we do business, this has become more important than ever as people across the country have suffered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re aware that the pandemic has had an impact on our society, and as a responsible business we are committed to playing our part in supporting the communities that need it the most.

Importantly, it was never simply about the senior members of Novus creating and executing the initiative: all our colleagues were involved from the early planning stages. As we were establishing our strategy for supporting Build Back Better, we issued a company-wide vote to give our colleagues working across the country – from Scotland to the south coast of England – the opportunity to choose the causes which mattered the most to them. Colleagues were asked to decide the key focus areas for the Build Back Better campaign within the three overarching themes of reducing poverty, good health and wellbeing, and environmental action – all of which are issues compounded by the pandemic.

Since the launch of the Build Back Better initiative in October 2020, we have supported a wide range of individuals, organisations and communities across the UK in various ways – from colleagues volunteering their time to assist with projects, to monetary, labour and materials donations – despite the challenges we faced as a business operating in the midst of the pandemic.

This collaborative approach to working is at the centre of what we do, keeping the family feel at the heart of the business and ensuring our colleagues and communities play a key role in how we operate.

To learn more about our family history, click here.