We have signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant in recognition of the valuable contribution made to society by serving, reservist and veteran military personnel and their families. This vital Covenant was signed in September 2021 by Max Joy, Sweco’s UK & Ireland president, who previously served as Lt Col in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

By signing the Covenant, we join many of our clients and partners who have also pledged their commitment to support the members of the Armed Forces, by ensuring that these individuals and their families are treated fairly in the workplace and are fully integrated into the wider community.

We recognise in particular the Covenant’s promise that ‘no member of the Armed Forces community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen’ and also that ‘in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.

As part of our commitment, we will:

• Support the employment of veterans
• Support the employment of servicemen and women and their partners and provide flexibility for spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment
• Support colleagues who are members of the Reserve Forces by accommodating training and deployment commitments
• Recognise the benefits of employing cadets and ex-cadets and will ensure that these individuals are granted leave to attend training courses. We will also support any plans they may have to become volunteer leaders in their local cadet units
• Support national events, such as Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Day
• Encourage our colleagues to support Armed Forces charities as part of their office’s CSR fundraising activities