Coast and Country Holidays is proud to be a part of Sykes Holiday Cottages, now a Certified B Corp!
Sykes Holiday Cottages have been making a difference for years, now they have the B Corp badge to prove it!
We’ve been part of the Sykes Holiday Cottages family since 2019 and help thousands of holidaymakers make lasting memories every year.
The purpose of the Sykes Holiday Cottages Family is to create lasting holiday memories, doing so responsibly and sustainably, and making a positive impact on our people, community, and planet.
After starting life on a kitchen table in the Yorkshire Dales in 1991, the Sykes Holiday Cottages Family has grown – employing more than 1,000 people across 23 regional brands; working with tens of thousands of owners; and taking more than 3 million people on holiday each year.
The Sykes Family believe in teamwork, a commitment to excellence, and treating our colleagues, property owners, and holidaymakers with the same respect as if they were sharing our kitchen table.
Read on to find out more about B Corp Certification…
Celebrate Sykes’ achievement with us!
What is a B Corp?
B Corp is a certification provided by the non-profit organisation, B Lab. It began in 2006 as a means to help businesses boost their positive influence and impact. Many amazing brands are already B Corp certified, including Tony’s Chocolonely and Coursera, and we’re excited to join them!
B Corp certified companies use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems, creating an inclusive, fair, and sustainable economy. As part of the B Corp community, we’re working towards a collective vision of business as a force for good.
When a business becomes B Corp certified, they sign the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence:
We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good. This economy is comprised of a new type of corporation – The B Corporation – which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
As B Corporations and leaders of this emerging economy, we believe:
That we must Be the change we seek in the world.
That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place matter.
That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.
How do you become B Corp Certified?
Becoming B Corp certified is a rigorous process, however, it is worth it to become part of this global community of purpose led businesses.
To become B Corp certified, your business must be verified for the following:
- Meeting B Lab’s standards for environmental and social impact
- Making a legal commitment to stakeholder governance
- Being transparent and accountable by showcasing a record of performance in a public B Corp profile
It’s important to remember that a B Corp certification isn’t an award, but rather the beginning of a great journey, for us to contribute towards continuous improvement and be part of collective action.
As part of the Sykes Family, we will work to maintain and improve the important actions we have been verified for, introduce new initiatives, and we will undergo the assessment and verification process every three years to measure our progress.
What Makes Sykes Holiday Cottages a B Corp?
The Sykes Family core values are centred around teamwork, dedication to achieving excellence, and treating all colleagues, property owners, and staycationers with the same level of respect. Sykes have taken several actions in order to achieve B Corp Certification, which you can find out about below.
Sykes are especially proud for scoring particularly highly in the Workers section of the B Impact Assessment.
Not only does the Sykes Family support colleagues through the workplace development programme, but we also recognise a commitment to their financial security, health & safety, wellness, career development, and engagement and satisfaction.
We want everyone to love working at Coast and Country Holidays and being part of the Sykes Holiday Cottages Family, but we also know there is more to life that work. So, we like to reward our amazing teams for the great work they do, and our benefits package is designed with this in mind to support our colleagues wherever they are in life!
Find out more about careers with The Sykes Holiday Cottages Family.
Our Impact Commitments
As part of the Sykes Family, we’ve set out a number of environmental and social pledges, which will help to focus our efforts. Further detail on our impact mission, past activity and plans for the future is included in the Sykes Impact report for 2022.
The Better Business Act
We have also signed up to support the Better Business Act. The act will call on the government to change Section 172 of the Companies Act, which will ensure companies are held legally accountable for their environmental and societal impact.
We are pleased to be part of the 2,000 like-minded businesses supporting this act who want to create a cleaner, greener and fairer future for all.
Find out more about the Sykes Holiday Cottages Family Impact mission in our 2021 Impact report, showcasing how far we’ve come in three years! #WeGoBeyond
