Responsible Business – Social and Governance aspects of ESG

Responsible business and ESG considerations are dominating conversations in boardrooms across the world.  Are you on top of what that means for your organisation? Attention is naturally on environmental factors such as decarbonisation, but the social and governance aspects are also important and areas where many organisations can be responsible for meaningful progress.

Investors, staff, applicants, customers and other stakeholders all recognise the longer-term benefits to operating in a more sustainable way. This is not a tick box exercise, and there is a growing expectation that businesses will embed and deliver on meaningful and strategic ESG objectives. Organisations that do not embrace ESG will eventually find it limiting to their business, especially those in the charity and public sectors who are expected to be more socially focused.

Social and Governance

We are at the forefront of conversations on the "S" and the "G" and our experts are helping organisations in all sectors and of all shapes and sizes. Social factors may include a demonstrable commitment to diversity and inclusion, pay equality, health & safety and to the wellbeing and development of staff. Governance factors focus on an organisation's structure and purpose, the quality and composition of its board, its engagement with stakeholders and demonstrating ethical behaviour throughout the organisation and its supply chain. 

Organisations need to be comfortable reporting on these matters in an open, honest and transparent way.

Trowers toolkit

Our Trowers ESG Toolkit offers you the following products to get you going on and continue your ESG journey focusing on the S and the G.

Getting started

Our experts can work with you to build a strategy from the ground up that is right for the nature of your business. For a fixed fee we offer a meeting at one of our offices or online to discuss your goals, practices and drivers around the S and the G and our bespoke recommendations to shape your strategy and key metrics.

Strategy Review

If you are a little further forward on the journey, we can review your existing strategy and the policies you have, and its implementation. We will identify areas that need strengthening, make recommendations on best practice, and offer additional policies or training that may benefit you.

Key Initiatives

You may already have an idea of areas that you would like to explore further. You might know that you need to improve your Gender Pay Gap, prepare for Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting, reduce employee absence, or maximise employee retention.

 

You may be keen to embed ESG across your decision making or improve your reporting on ESG to stakeholders.  We can provide you with tailored support on your areas of concern. 

Of course, this is an area that will continue to change at a fast pace. Government policy, legislation and societal expectations will continue to evolve over time. We can assist you with getting ahead of and preparing for those changes so that you can ensure the long-term sustainability and success of your organisation. 

Some examples of our ESG related support

  • Support and recommendations on introducing ESG driven decision-making
  • Support and recommendations on an appropriate framework and monitoring matrix
  • Undertaking gap analysis against the framework to identify areas for improvement
  • Reviewing or providing appropriate organisational policies
  • Providing training to board and senior management to underpin those policies
  • Support with setting and implementing a stakeholder engagement strategy
  • Support with producing or reviewing your Wellbeing Strategy
  • Recommendations for reducing your gender pay gap
  • Reviewing your D&I Strategy and policies and support with improving your workforce inclusivity.
  • Anti-harassment training for managers and HR
  • Specialist support with investigating sexual harassment allegations
  • Reviewing your whistleblowing reporting procedures and making best practice recommendations
  • Support with preparing for ethnicity pay gap reporting
  • Reviewing your practices on modern slavery and your supply chain
  • Training for managers and HR on reasonable adjustments for disabled employees
  • Advice on Positive Action under the Equality Act
  • Support and recommendations on reducing staff absence and improving staff wellbeing
  • Recommendations on Family Friendly practices and flexible working
  • Support with introducing ethical pensions benefits
  • Reviewing and auditing your data governance procedures and making recommendations
  • Support and recommendations on data breach response and risk mitigation