ESG: gaining in credibility every day!

ESG: gaining in credibility every day!

The Beeye Team - Mar 15, 2023 9:51:10 AM

ESG has now become firmly established in audit and accountancy practices. But it is in our daily working lives and the quality of the way ESG is shared and planned that we are truly able measure the reality of the commitments made in this area.

ESG policy: noticeable unanimity

There are very few chartered accountancy practices these days that don’t display their policy on ESG as a crucial element of their employer brand. While this is certainly the case in the big international firms, it is also becoming more noticeable in many smaller structures. But do accountants really have an alternative when it’s so difficult to recruit and when young employees (and not so young ones) place social and environmental responsibility at the top of their list of expectations?

A survey conducted in France by the accounting practice, Denjean & Associés, among finance students demonstrates how the 3 fundamental missions of a company in this area are prioritized:

  • For 79%: guaranteeing good working conditions for staff,
  • For 71%: reducing the impact on the environment,
  • For 61%: respecting the principles of ethics, loyalty and transparency.

So, ESG is not just limited to the scope of sustainable development, however important that may be. No, it primarily concerns the firm’s employees and managers, who are its greatest asset.

Encouraging diversity, equality, parity and social inclusion; promoting the development of individual and collective skills; ensuring individual fulfillment by continuously improving work/life balance. These are all objectives for making ESG a driver of overall performance, as well as a tool for innovation and change management. Okay, but what about the day-to-day reality of working in a practice?

 

The shadow of a doubt

“High pressure, impossible deadlines, all-consuming working hours and strict hierarchies are all things the new generations of workers are turning their back on. The balance between personal and working life has changed considerably. Associates and even young partners are no longer prepared to make certain sacrifices,” was the recent summary of the situation by Bernard Gainnier, former chairman of PwC France & Maghreb.

Do public pronouncements about carbon neutrality or focusing on wellbeing at work reflect a sincere and realistic approach? This is no longer the opinion of first-time job applicants today: according to the Swedish firm Universum, fewer than 1/3 of them believe in the real commitment of employers...

How are employees treated? Is the practice inclusive? Is it open to diversity? What efforts is it making to reduce its carbon footprint? The gap between saying and doing is closely monitored, and the sincerity of management is quickly brought into question. Greenwashing doesn’t cut the mustard on Glassdoor and the forums!

 

Principles, yes, but actions in particular

The fight is first and foremost about values – those shared and those defended. They help to underline the meaning of the firm’s actions and vision. They include: respect, trust, recognition, the group, commitment, etc. The implementation of those values can be demonstrated when it comes, for example, to teleworking facilities or, on another level, to diversity, gender equality or the inclusion of people with disabilities.

 But how much do these advances weigh against the daily observations of employees? What happens if the workload is shared unequally, if individual talents are not used with the right client, at the right time and in the right place, if juniors are torn between the conflicting demands of their various managers and partners? The reality of the firm’s commitments is measured in the day-to-day work and the quality of its planning and staffing. All under the threat of staff churn.…

An Excel spreadsheet is far from sufficient for ensuring that work is distributed in a way that best suits the needs of the assignment and the individual capabilities of the staff. Today’s accounting practices need a smarter planning tool, such as Beeye, to demonstrate their sincerity, to ensure the best use of everyone’s talents… and to make it visible to all.

 

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