Members in Focus: Deloitte
2010-09-01
Members in Focus
This month we will focus on a Business in the Community Ireland member company and one of our Summit on Corporate Responsibility 2010 sponsors, Deloitte.
Pat Cullen, Managing Partner for Deloitte in Ireland discusses how Deloitte commit to employee volunteering on a local and global level, the tools they use to engage and communicate effectively with employees, how they manage work life balance and the benefits gained from this, and what Deloitte has put in place to minimise their impact on the environment.
The Deloitte worldwide initiative, IMPACT Day, brings partners and staff together to volunteer one working day to a project that has direct and positive impact on society. Could you tell us why Deloitte have committed to this on a global level and what have been the local impacts of this initiative?
On a global level Deloitte is very committed to providing a valuable and sustainable contribution to the communities in which our member firms operate. And this is no different here in Ireland. The appetite amongst our people for this initiative has been fantastic. Last year, across our three offices in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, we had nearly 300 enthusiastic volunteers! Impact Day is a designated working day of service to local communities - in short we turn off the laptops and visit local facilities and community projects that have been picked by our people to support. In 2009 the projects we undertook ranged from painting rooms in Chesire Homes and clearing weeds and unwanted hedging in an Irish Wildlife Trist wildlife area in Dublin; to painting the Alzheimer's Society's day care centre in Limerick; and sprucing up the Alzheimer's Society's garden in Cork. We have a similar programme planned for September 2010.
The feedback we have received from the projects we supported has been really great to hear - they really do appreciate our efforts. What's more, the volunteers here find it immensely rewarding - so much so that I am not sure they want to turn their laptops back on the next day!
Can you tell us more about the Green Agenda initiative which you have put in place to promote sustainability and reduce your impact on the environment?
The ethos behind the green agenda is quite straight forward - our objective is to minimise the impact of our operations on the environment. We look to promote sustainability and environmental awareness in our business and personal lives. There are a wide range of areas that we are continually examining to see where we can make improvements - from waste management to travel and consumption. The last year has seen a number of green initiatives implemented throughout the firm - including ones that have reduced our paper consumption, and made our hot water system more efficient to name but a few. We have also looked at ways in which we can facilitate alternatives to travel relating to client work.
Our goal is to continually improve in this area and develop and implement efficiency strategies in so far as possible. For this very reason, we were delighted that our ‘Green Team' were finalists in the category green Professional Services Awards at the Green Awards 2009/2010 - we took it to mean that we were making good progress in the area!
What are the benefits to Deloitte in being a member of Business in the Community Ireland and receiving one to one advice and guidance on Corporate Responsibility?
There is a strong commitment to our CSR programme of activity - not only to the wide range of initiatives that we engage in - but also to ensure that these initiatives are the best that they can be. For this reason, we have worked closely with Business in the Community in developing our CSR initiatives - receiving this one to one advice, in addition to sharing ideas with other members has been very valuable. Coupled with this, we try to make CSR within the firm as inclusive as possible - by welcoming all suggestions and ideas that our people may have. This joint approach has been very successful thus far - and we look forward to continuing our relationship with BITC.
For 8 years Deloitte has been voted one of the best workplaces in Ireland, the only professional services firm in Ireland to have achieved this. In 2010 you attributed your success to employee communications; can you tell us a bit more about this, what tools and techniques you use to maximize your communications with staff and why you feel this is important to do in the current climate?
Yes, throughout the course of the last year, we invested a lot of time in communicating with our people to ensure that they were kept up to date on developments within the firm. We felt this was extremely important given the challenging marketplace over the last year and wanted to ensure that our people were as informed as possible on how the firm was dealing with these challenges. In addition to staff briefings on a regular basis, we developed a number of forums for our people to ask questions, share ideas and put forward their suggestions.
The response to these measures has been very positive and it's been fantastic to see the commitment and creativity that is present in the firm. The most recent initiative that we have launched, on the back of feedback we received from our people, has been our team briefings. These bring teams together on a face-to-face basis so that information can be delivered, questions asked and feedback collected. We have found this to be an excellent way to enable communication upwards, downwards and sideways throughout the firm. It is an ideal way to deliver important messages and is also a good forum for sharing good news and recognising and celebrating achievements.
Deloitte Ireland's STEPS and Equilibrium programmes are aimed at reflecting the balance of priorities in people's lives and ensuring an adequate work life balance, can you tell us more about why you developed these programmes for staff and what the benefits are to you as an organization?
At Deloitte, we strive to be the most progressive employer with the best opportunities for personal and professional growth. Deloitte has implemented and continued to add to its HR policies which help in facilitating a work-life balance and ensuring the wellbeing of its people. The “STEPS” and “Equilibrium” programmes offer a wide range of initiatives designed to reflect the balance of priorities in people's lives and ensure an adequate work-life balance. Everything from salsa dancing and yoga to extended paternity leave is offered. And the benefits to our organisation? Well, we firmly believe that by investing in people, encouraging them to achieve a work/life balance and providing support for their development all contribute to the creation of an optimal working environment - which ultimately benefits our firm and our clients.
Deloitte recently participated in the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010, a gathering of some 1,500 leaders from business, civil society, labour, academia, government and the UN marking the 10th anniversary of the Global Compact. As a founding member of the Global Compact at its inception in 2000, why is it important for Deloitte to be involved in this initiative?
The global Deloitte firm was among the first 40 companies to commit to the Global Compact in July 2000 and was also the only professional services firm to be a founding member of the initiative. The UN Global Compact is an important forum for Deloitte to engage with like-minded companies, and Deloitte's member firms participate regularly in many of the Global Compact's meetings around the world.
What are the business benefits to Deloitte in being a leading company dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility? What challenges do you encounter and how have these been overcome?
It's my view that any enlightened business nowadays needs to have a clearly defined approach to the impact of climate change, involvement with local communities, responsible business practices and the creation of a quality workplace environment. A business will not be successful in the long term if these aspects are ignored. A strong commitment to corporate responsibility is a core value among Deloitte member firms and is one of the factors that make them leaders in business around the world.
The area of CSR has been a significant focus for our firm for the last number of years, and will continue to be. And what has been very encouraging has been the buy-in we have received from our people. For that reason, there have not been that many challenges to overcome. Whether it has been raising money for the people of Haiti and Pakistan, or getting ‘back to the shop floor' to raise money for Daffodil Day to really rolling the sleeves up and getting ‘stuck in' on Impact Day, our people have made the firm's CSR policy a success. And that is something that I am very proud of.
For more information, visit www.deloitte.ie
