We’re proud to share that Purple was awarded the ERS Silver Award earlier this year! 

The award was launched to encourage employers to pledge and showcase their support for the Armed Forces community and is given to those employers that go above and beyond to create inclusive environments where military personnel and their families can thrive.  

This award, given by the Ministry of Defence, recognises our commitment as a company to supporting the Armed Forces community, and highlights our dedication to ensuring that veterans, reservists, and their families are supported and valued within our organisation.

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The Employer Recognition Scheme consists of three award levels – bronze, silver and gold - and in 2023 we were proud to earn the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Bronze Award, which recognised our ongoing efforts to support the Armed Forces community. Encouraged by this achievement and our continuous commitment throughout the year, we decided to work toward the next level, the Silver Award status.

The process began with eligibility checks, a crucial step before gathering the required documentation. This involved revisiting the Bronze Award and ensuring we were still fulfilling the promises we made, and actively doing what we said we were doing.

The whole team were then invited to contribute their personal experiences and connections with the military community. Some of us at Purple are spouses of serving personnel, others are involved with military charities, members of associated committees, and of course we have connections to the military in the work we carry out on a daily basis through website design and digital marketing. These discussions highlighted the diverse ways Purple supports the Armed Forces, confirming that we could meet the Silver Award's stringent requirements.

The application required us to focus on four primary groups: Veterans, Reservists, Cadet Force Volunteers, and Military Spouses and Partners. For each of these categories, we were able to showcase our dedication and support through a variety of initiatives. Our contributions included building websites for military-related organisations, offering workshops tailored to the Armed Forces, providing military discount packages, offering work experience opportunities, making charitable donations, and attending local military events - to name just a few.

One key aspect of the Silver Award is demonstrating active support for the employment of ex-military personnel and military spouses. We provided evidence of this through our recruitment policies, which promote inclusivity for veterans and their families, as well as updates to our staff handbook to ensure it reflects our commitment to offering opportunities to those connected with the military.

We are proud of the progress we’ve made, and this resulted in us being presented with the Silver Award in June, one of only 7 businesses in North Yorkshire to receive this award this year.