Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) is a broad concept and can take many forms and at its heart is about how a company can be socially accountable and operating in ways that enhance society and the environment. At Simplify Consulting we have always set ourselves against high standards of ethical behaviour and values that also support the community and a keen sense of socially responsibility. It feels even more urgent now following the recent damning UN scientific report, and the ever increasing and devastating disasters we have seen unfolding around us because of climate change.

Community Causes

Since Simplify Consulting’s inception it has been important to Kate Monserrate and Carl Woodward our co-founding directors to give back to the community and charitable causes. Each year Simplify selects a charity or in the case for 2021 two charities that we can support throughout the year to fundraise for through different events and challenges. The charities are selected because they are a cause that is personal to one or several of the team and it is a way for us to give back when one or some of us have experienced first-hand the support the charity provides. Last year we raised over £16,000 which we are so proud of, especially during a tough year, with all the challenges and restrictions of fundraising during a pandemic. This year sees our seventh annual Charity Golf Day with competitions, auction and raffles to raise money for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity and Dorset Children’s Foundation.

Corporate Citizenship

We have already been working hard towards a more sustainable and pro-social objective and now our mission is to work towards building a CSR policy that goes beyond a corporate tick box exercise. It is one thing to write policies and procedures, but another to be committed to the cause and take steps to improve the environmental sustainability of our operations. We are continually reviewing our suppliers, using renewable energy sources, and finding different ways of reducing or offsetting our carbon footprint. As a small business we want to do more than just comply with the standard health, safety, and environmental laws.

Engaging with all our employees has been key and with their involvement we can develop policies and practices that exceed rudimentary compliance to basic laws and guidelines. We surveyed the whole team and invited everyone to discuss and share their thoughts on how we implement and maintain a robust ‘green’ policy that will benefit all. The team have been really engaged in supporting our green objectives and collectively we are motivated by our own personal convictions to minimise our environmental impact and it’s clear how committed we are to socially responsible practices.

Partnership

To help us to work more sustainably we are proud to be partnering with the 721 Challenge and we have been working closely with Nick Hollis and the team at 721 Challenge to progress our green agenda. The 721 Challenge’s environmental mission is to create a platform from which like-minded organisations can demonstrate their ability to be as sustainable, low-impact and ethical as possible.

Nick Hollis is an international mountaineer and completing the 721 Challenge where he will climb the Seven Summits, ski the North and South Poles and row the Atlantic Ocean in a record attempt. We are excited to partner with Nick and the team on this incredible journey and the race against climate change.

Partnering with Nick means we can share ideas on how we make certain changes in the business where we can make a difference with our environmental responsibility. We have already made some impactful changes and connected with other suppliers and providers that share the same green ethos.

Our work with our charity partners continues each year as we strive to raise much needed funds. The team have pushed themselves to the limit to achieve physical feats such as running marathons, overcoming theirs fears by abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower or throwing themselves out of a plane to skydive at 15,000 ft. Next year sees two of our team join Nick Hollis for a week in Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which stands at 5,895 metres (19,341 feet) for the World Land Trust.

Collective Goal

The aim for us at Simplify is to make as many changes as we can from the small things to the bigger, long-term investment into creating a more sustainable environment in which we operate. Some of which can and has been implemented immediately and other options will take time to implement to ensure it is both practicable and effective for our business. Here are some of the things we have been focusing on:

  • Policies & procedures – educating and embedding policy changes and our green agenda across the company from how we travel to client sites to minimise our carbon footprint to incentivising green activities.
  • Behavioural changes – changing our habits to reduce and minimise energy usage like printing (or not), reusing, recycling to manage waste, and purchasing sustainable goods.
  • Environment – rethinking our office environment to accommodate water coolers, installing hand dryers, and bringing plants and greenery for natural noise reduction and improving wellbeing as well as air pollution.
  • Suppliers – reviewing and changing suppliers from switching to green energy to purchasing and partnering with B Certified Corporations.
  • Engagement – understanding what our employees want and exploring what can be done in partnership with suppliers, charitable organisations, our landlord and the community to explore ways in which we can be more environmentally friendly.
  • Resources – building out our intranet site so everyone has access to information and support employees to adopt ways to be more sustainable both at work and at home.

There is still a way for us to go as there is always so much more that we can do. Providing resources for the team and company to manage our environmental impact, reduce our carbon footprint and limit waste is ongoing. Whilst the big challenges people have set themselves are awe inspiring and a test of mental and physical strength, we must not underestimate the impact smaller changes can make in the way we live and work.

It is increasingly important to us at Simplify as individuals and as a company to have socially responsible orientations and we want to achieve that through our environmental, social and governance practices. We have a collective goal to produce higher standards of living and quality of life for the communities that surround us and still maintain profitability.

Let us know what you think about sustainability in the workplace.  What practices have you seen that works or do you feel differently about Corporate and Social Responsibility?