Corporate responsibility
Why do we care so much?
Our activities as a firm have an impact on our communities. We are committed not
only to managing that impact but also to using the resources we have in making a
real and sustainable difference.
Involving ourselves in our communities is exceptionally important to us.
We have an excellent track-record of charitable work, both at individual and organisational
level. This is because we recognise our wider responsibility to society.
We understand that the amount of talent and energy we have can make a real difference
in helping to create the kind of society we all want to live in.
What do we offer?
- Six days a year for community volunteering
- Matched-funding
- Payroll giving
We provide all of our people with up to six days a year for community volunteering. Although our people are free to find their own volunteering work, if they wish, we provide access to a wide range of opportunities.
We also have a matched-funding scheme whereby funds raised by employees for charitable causes are matched by the firm. This charitable work has benefited local schools and universities, as well as major charities. Our payroll giving scheme enables employees to make tax-free donations to the charities of their choice directly from their salaries.
Are we a green company?
As a firm of accountants, we are not a major polluter. But this does not stop us taking our environmental impact very seriously. We undertake independent environmental audits of our business on an annual basis to measure our impact and the information from this audit helps us to refine our environmental management programme. Our priority is to reduce our carbon emissions but we have also committed to offsetting unavoidable emissions.
Furthermore we make environmental considerations a central part of our movement to new offices as we expand and grow out of our existing premises. In particular, as part of our planned move to our new London premises, at 55 Baker Street, we have undertaken extensive work with independent experts to ensure that the environmental implications of all aspects of our fit-out have been considered.
Here are some real life examples of how we and our people are making a difference:
Sponsorship
We are a major sponsor of ‘Change the World 9-5’ – a new book published by We Are What We Do, a social change movement, linked to the charity Community Links. Every member of staff has been given a copy – as have many of our
clients. This wonderful book lists 50 simple ideas showing things people can do at work to help change the world.
Community action
David Campbell, an Audit Partner in London, took part in a day which gave employees experience of CR in action when they painted murals and decorated facilities at a North London nursery school.
“It was an unusual experience swapping my desk in Baker Street for paint brushes and a playground. We all had a brilliant day – hard work but everyone had a lot of fun. There was a real sense of pride and achievement at the end of the day and it was great to see how much the children and teachers appreciated our efforts.”
Back to school
Stuart Godfrey is in his second year of training with BDO Stoy Hayward in our London office. He recently had the opportunity to work with We Are What We Do in their new project inviting 7-18 year olds to come up with actions and ideas to change the world through a national competition.
Stuart jumped at the chance to go along to a pilot volunteering programme with five other colleagues at a school in East London. The purpose of the programme was to help facilitate workshops ranging from making music from recycled materials to making art from rubbish and calculating carbon footprints.
Following positive feedback, the firm is planning to continue working with We Are What We Do in developing further volunteering opportunities for all employees.
“I was initially slightly sceptical about how much awareness and enthusiasm the kids would show for quite complicated subjects around protecting the future of our planet. However, I came away really impressed by how knowledgeable they were and how they got stuck in. For me it was a rewarding and unique experience, an opportunity to get out of the office and mix with different types of people. I think it’s great that the firm has encouraged and supported me in taking part in this initiative and I’m looking forward to doing more with We Are What We Do.”
Climb every mountain
Palvi Shah qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Business Assurance in our London office. When Palvi heard that a group from the firm was organising a trek to initiate a medical project in Ethiopia, she knew it was going to be a great thing to be involved in and she wasn’t disappointed. Palvi joined 19 other people from the firm on a two week arduous trek across the Simien Mountains to establish a medical project for the struggling Amhara people. Our group from BDO Stoy Hayward initiated an outreach programme and as a result people who had not received even the most basic healthcare for a number of years now have regular access to medical workers. Through some fun and creative activities and through BDO Stoy Hayward’s fund matching initiative the group raised £60,000 towards the project.
“It was a fantastic experience and great to be able to see first-hand the difference we made. I will not be going with the 2007 group but I will be supporting them. I was really impressed with the support the firm provided for this project, not only with time and money, but also with real enthusiasm.”