L3Harris’ devotion to serving and supporting the U.K. Armed Forces began more than 100 years ago, and yet the business’ commitment to this community still continues to grow and strengthen over a century later. To this end, L3Harris recently received Silver Award status under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), a coveted initiative that celebrates the achievements of organisations who pledge, demonstrate or advocate support for defence and the Armed Forces community.
Chief Strategy Officer for L3Harris in the U.K., Jules Ball, and Royal Navy reservist, Henry Watts, both attended an awards ceremony in London to receive the Silver Award on behalf of the business last month. “This is a highly significant achievement for L3Harris in the U.K. and further demonstrates our alignment to the values of the U.K. Armed Forces Covenant, building on our previous Bronze status,” Ball said. “Receiving the award marked a very proud moment for L3Harris in the U.K.”
L3Harris Contributions to the Covenant
Dedicated to upholding the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, a pledge signed by the company in 2021, L3Harris consistently works hard to ensure serving and ex-serving personnel and their families are supported. This includes but is not limited to:
- Actively recruiting reservists and veterans and providing paid leave for annual training
- Maintaining a Supporting Emergency Responders and Veterans Engagement (SERVE) employee resource group (ERG)
- Supporting related charities and their work with the defence community, such as the Soldiers’, Sailors’ & Airmen’s Families Association, Team Forces and Combat Stress
Farnborough personnel attend an interactive talk to honour Remembrance Day 2024.
A forces-friendly employer, L3Harris not only recognises the invaluable contributions made by serving personnel, reservists, cadets, veterans and military families to keep the nation safe, but welcomes their skills and expertise into the workforce to enhance and refine its offering.
“The Silver Award reaffirms our commitment to our employees and the broader defence community as part of the Armed Forces Covenant,” said Graeme Mackay, Vice President of U.K. Operations at L3Harris. “We place an extremely high value on the specialist skills and unique perspective military personnel bring to ý, as well as their inspirational efforts to protect our country.”
Taking Time to Reflect on Remembrance Day
In line with the values of the Covenant, on Monday 11 November at 11am GMT, L3Harris employees across the U.K. joined in a one-minute silence at their respective offices to commemorate and honour Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day provides an annual opportunity for people all over the nation to remember the service and sacrifice of those who have defended freedoms and protected our way of life.
Tewkesbury, a Gold ERS Award recipient, hosted a short flag raising ceremony wherein veterans and reservists were invited to wear their medals and uniforms onsite. This included a rousing speech from the business’ serving and ex-serving members as well as General Manager, Ian Menzies, after which a bake sale to raise money for The Felix Fund, a U.K. bomb disposal charity, took place.
Tewkesbury, a Gold ERS Award recipient, hosts a Remembrance Day 2024 flag raising ceremony.
At Farnborough, a remembrance event saw employees observe a two-minute silence followed by a presentation on the U.K. Chapter of the SERVE ERG and interactive discussion led by Regional Managing Director, Ian Blower. Serving and ex-serving members were also encouraged to wear regimental ties and medals, and families with serving relatives also participated in bringing memorabilia.
If you would like to learn more about L3Harris’ commitment to the U.K. Armed Forces, read our pledge.