What being a responsible business means to Shoosmiths

When we think about what it means to be a responsible business it might be tempting to answer by first describing the many charity fundraising and worthy causes supported by Shoosmiths.

But this does not do justice to our efforts to be a responsible business. As we reflect on our place in society during Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Week 23 – 27 April 2018 our CR programme Shine: Bright Ideas for Positive Change has a number of areas of focus. These include:

In our Workplace

• Talent attraction and development;
• Flexible and agile working
• Building diversity by creating an inclusive culture
• Wellbeing; and
• Health and safety.

In our Marketplace

• Governance framework and standards to conduct our business with honesty and integrity;
• Acting for clients tackling some of society’s greatest economic, social and environmental challenges;
• Treating our suppliers fairly;
• Seeking out instances of slavery or human trafficking; and
• Free pro bono legal advice in the public interest for individuals and organisations who cannot afford to pay.

In our Environment

• Using technology and behavioural change to reduce the environmental impacts caused by our procurement, resource use; building energy consumption, IS systems, travel; and waste generation.

In our Communities

• Sharing our professional skills by volunteering;
• Private Client teams building commercial relationships with the charity sector;
• In-kind support; and
• Charitable fundraising and donations.

We are very serious about our intentions, demonstrated by our membership of organisations such as Business in the Community and global movements such as the UN Global Compact. Check out our approach and our annual reporting here.