The European Commission defines Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as “the concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders, on a voluntary basis, going beyond what is required by the law”. The Guardian Holdings Group can boast of a tradition of service in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean that has lasted for more than 160 years. This connection is deeply embedded in regional communities and in the hundreds of thousands of families to whom Guardian has given protection and coverage for many generations.

Internally, Guardian’s CSR can be seen in its best in class human resource practices, employee development programmes, workplace health and safety, wellness and an intrinsic acknowledgement
of civic responsibility. In this regard, Guardian employees have taken the lead in community outreach and empowerment in each of its jurisdictions. At the head office, this has been formalised into GIFT, Guardian Initiatives for Transformation, driven by employee volunteers. Community outreach initiatives focus primarily on children, the elderly and families. In 2010 GIFT introduced the ‘Pay-It-Forward’ programme; one notable employee activity being the preparation of Secondary Entrance Examination (SEA) students of two schools in Trinidad & Tobago who were, in turn, required to do ‘pay it forward’ to someone else.

Life Pulse, a wellness programme led by employees and supported by the company, aims at improving the quality of work life. Its motto – ‘healthy minds, healthy bodies, healthy lives’ – seeks
to instill the importance of a balanced lifestyle. In 2010, activities included participation in a financial services sector urban track challenge, in house dance/aerobic classes, turtle watching and a series of health fairs during Cancer Awareness Month.

Externally, Guardian has focussed on programmes directed at the environment, community development, educational and capacity building activities. Project Green, launched in 2007, continues to encourage employees to engage in green initiatives to reduce the individual and corporate carbon footprint. In 2010, the company added plastic recycling to its glass, batteries, and paper initiatives. The company already saves energy by powering down its buildings after a certain hour at night.

The Pride in Pawi project, undertaken by the Guardian Life Wildlife Fund in association with the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme, continued and will be concluded in 2011. The Group’s two main regional sponsorships in 2010 were the Premium Teaching Awards, a collaborative activity – that is more than a decade in existence – with the Mona and St. Augustine Campuses of The University of the West Indies and the CARIFTA Games, the premier track and field meet of the English, French and Dutch Caribbean, then in its eighth consecutive year.