Case study: How supporting charity has strengthened my business

WHO: Henry Stewart, founder of Happy Computers

WHAT: London-based IT training provider

THE ISSUE: The mutual benefits of giving to good causes

THE SOLUTION: "I set up Happy Computers in 1990 with the aim of making a positive impact through everything the firm does. We're in business to make a profit - we have to be. But we're also in business to make a difference, and that's integral to all our core business activities, from the design of our training to the suppliers we choose.

"We operate on a principle of mutual benefit. More than half our clients are charities, and they receive a 35 per cent discount. But we gain, too, from being involved with charity work. Primarily, it's good for staff job satisfaction and a happy workforce is more productive.

"We have a time bank scheme, where we allocate 100 working days a year for staff to work with a charity of their choice. This time can be drawn on by any member of staff. If someone wants to go and work for a charity for 20 days, that's fine - as long as they can explain what the mutual benefit is for us and the charity.

"We also enable staff to develop their skills through on-the-job training with charities. In the past, we might have trained employees in web skills by making a mock website; now we go into local charities and build a real website for them. The genuine support we offer boosts staff morale and helps them get practical experience.

"We also use our IT expertise by recycling PCs. In the last year, ten computers have been recycled to three local charities and 55 have gone to a social enterprise which distributes computers to disadvantaged families in Newham.

"A good initiative for us was sending staff to Uganda to work with local charities to create sustainable IT training centres for the local people. We realised that the main reason our staff were leaving was to travel the world. By enabling them to go overseas with work, they had no reason to leave. They also had to overcome challenges they wouldn't have faced elsewhere - it was much better than an Outward Bound course and probably cost the same.

"The result is strong staff retention, which has saved us a lot in recruitment costs. When we do lose staff we have minimal expenses because of our positive reputation as an employer. We have a waiting list of 2,000 people who want to work for us and last year we were listed as the eleventh best place to work in the UK by the Financial Times."

LESSONS LEARNED: "It's important to involve staff in deciding which charities to support. We introduced a system of charity cheques, where each employee gets to donate £100 to a charity of their choice each year. It's good for motivation and helps staff feel they are making a difference."