Overview of Our Business - Legal & General CSR Report 2006

"Our role as a financial product provider and a manager of long term savings and pension assets underlies our commitment to CSR, and to our 9,000 employees"

Sir Rob Margetts
Chairman

Protection and Annuities

Legal & General is an expert provider of risk based products, operating across a number of markets. These include life and critical illness, individual and bulk purchase annuities, group risk and household and income protection.

Wealth Management

Legal & General is a leading provider of wealth management products. We distribute a full range of individual and corporate pensions as well as investment bonds, unit trusts and ISAs through IFAs, business partners, banks, building societies and direct to customers.

With-Profits

Legal & General’s with-profits business includes pension and unit-linked products that offer a with-profits option. The business is managed separately from non-profits business and is backed by a financially strong fund enabling us to take advantage of a wide range of investment opportunities.

Investment Management

Legal & General Investment Management is one of the largest asset managers in the UK, providing institutional investors with straightforward, value for money investment solutions. Our product range includes index funds as well as actively managed equity fixed income and commercial property funds.

International

Legal & General’s principal international businesses operate in the United States, France and the Netherlands. They are active in selected lines of business in individual and group protection and savings.

CSR Guiding Principles

Legal & General recognises its duty to behave responsibly in these business activities and towards those whom its actions affect. Four years ago we developed a set of policy commitments, known as Guiding Principles, to express how we view these responsibilities. They are reviewed annually to ensure they remain relevant.

Corporate Social Responsibility at Legal & General means:

Investment
- Promoting responsible business practices in the companies in which we invest
Customer Experience
- Providing good value, fit for purpose products which meet or exceed customers’ reasonable expectations
- Communicating in a clear, appropriate and accessible way
- Delivering a positive experience throughout a customer’s relationship with us
Employee Relations
- Working in close partnership with our recognised trade union, Amicus
- Providing a flexible, supportive, healthy and safe working environment
- Adopting policies and practices which encourage an appropriate work/life balance
- Applying open and fair processes for recruitment and promotions
- Promoting our Values: customer focus, teamwork, open and fair, and results driven
Suppliers
- Dealing with suppliers fairly and objectively at all times
- Promoting and encouraging responsible business practices by the suppliers of our goods and services
Environment
- Minimising any negative impact on the environment arising from our business activities
Community Involvement
- Investing in charitable causes and social enterprises which are closely aligned to our business activities
- Supporting the community as a whole, but especially those communities in which our main offices are based
- Supporting and encouraging our employees in their charitable and community involvement

To find out how we carry out these commitments please refer to the relevant sections in this Report.

See our CSR Guiding Principles