While 2020 presented many challenges in terms of new ways of working, it also offered an opportunity to fundamentally reshape certain business processes and strengthen our commitments to corporate responsibility and sustainability. Roland Berger continued to uphold the four pillars of the UN Global Compact by finding new opportunities to improve our corporate citizenship, specifically in terms of diversity, sustainability and compliance.
Our eighth report since becoming a member of the UN Global Compact describes the current status, past development and future plans of how we bring corporate citizenship to life in our consulting operations. It details how we achieved our goals from the period of December 2019 to December 2020 across the four pillars – human rights, labor standards, environment and anti-corruption.
One of the major focuses throughout 2020 at Roland Berger was keeping employees confident and healthy by helping them to navigate the turbulent times brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our newly developed “Corona Taskforce” helped to safeguard employees during travel and establish effective hygiene guidelines and safety procedures. There was also a strong push to develop remote or hybrid working models that use new virtual collaboration platforms. New projects and adaptations of the Employee Engagement Survey allowed us to stay in closer contact with employees to better manage stress and mental health.
In the long-term, we recognize that sustainability will remain one of the most pressing issues facing the world. As part of our ambitious sustainability initiative, we have committed to becoming net zero by 2028. Being awarded the Climate Neutrality label by South Pole in December 2020 was a significant step towards this goal. By reducing energy consumption year-on-year, prioritizing regional suppliers of food and beverage and separating plastic, paper and electronic waste, we have further reduced our environmental impact. We also perceive that virtual formats can remain an effective form of communication in the future to replace some business trips.
Guided by the Global Compact, German and EU legislation as well as our own Code of Conduct, Roland Berger aims to provide a working environment that is open, friendly and non-discriminatory. This year, we introduced a new mandatory e-training to foster respect and equal treatment in the workplace. A company-wide virtual “Roland Berger Pride Week”, combined with support for several diversity initiatives, help to cultivate an environment in which LGBT+ employees feel safe to be their true selves. In the future, we aim to extend our activities of women@RB to achieve a higher proportion of female employees. The challenge we have chosen for ourselves is two-fold: Convince more women to join Roland Berger and transform our culture in order to remain their employer of choice for the long haul.
New policies and compliance training courses, together with raised awareness for our whistleblower system, helped to embed anti-corruption and anti-bribery values into all business activities. Roland Berger has long integrated corporate responsibility and sustainability as strategic business processes. We are proud of what we have achieved over the last year, despite the challenges, and will continue to set ambitious goals to constantly improve our corporate citizenship in the future.
Roland Berger found new opportunities in 2020 to enhance diversity, sustainability and compliance in order to uphold the principles of the UN Global Compact
