OUR CULTURE STORY | AUTUMN 2019 22
CITIZENSHIP CHAPTER TEN
“We all make a difference in our day jobs at BDO: the role we play in capital markets, in supporting an entrepreneur to succeed, in providing assurance to Audit Committees, in advising a business owner on their next step towards successful growth. We understand that the talent and energy we have can contribute to the kind of society we all want to live in.” We also make a difference by sharing our skills, time and passion with the community. This activity keeps us inspired, engaged and energised, individually and collectively – and very proud of our culture. Helping not just each other or our clients but also helping society succeed. MICHAEL YEBOAH
Our new approach is called 5+5: X X ‘My Action 5’ – five days can be used for the usual fundraising, volunteering or team-building days as people currently do – we call them action days. X X ‘My Strategic 5’ – the other five days are called strategic days – where people can use their professional skillsets to really make a difference. It might be as a trustee of a charity, working on a big societal challenge with some of our Tech Track companies or going into schools to help with interview prep or CV writing. Volunteering and fundraising is extremely important – to individuals at BDO and to the hundreds of communities we continue to support. There are simply too many stories to share in this report; they span from our Birmingham team clearing the Saltwells Local Nature Reserve in Dudley, our Islamic Network’s Eid celebration dinner which raised enough money to sponsor four orphan children for a year and our Leeds team volunteering at St George’s Crypt, a homeless shelter in Leeds. But, as a purpose-led firm, we need to do more than just take days out to do good deeds. We aspire to leave a legacy, which is about creating a future BDO for our people, stakeholders and society as a whole. There are things we need to do as a firm to maximise our positive impact on the world around us, but if we enable our people to make a difference at the same time, our impact will be far greater. Our Citizenship priority provides us with a ‘check and balance’ that we’re being a good corporate citizen and about our overall contribution to society.
FROM 5OCKS… Julia Poulter , a Director in BDO’s Charity and Social Housing Assurance team. Last year, Julia decided to take on a Non- Executive role at a local homelessness charity in Bromley, and was inspired to do something more to help support those in need during the winter. “As part of my role at BDO I work with a range of different charitable organisations. I am passionate about helping them to deliver their mission which is why in addition to my role in the Assurance team, BDO’s corporate social responsibility programme is important to me. I’m able to use my CSR days to be involved in my local homelessness charity as Chair of the Board. These days are enormously useful to me. As Chair of a small charity you take on a huge responsibility that requires a lot of time. Previously, I have used CSR days to lead scout camps or for war grave visits with The Royal British Legion. I also spent time in Nepal teaching English, Maths and Accountancy, so I have certainly made the most of them! I was surprised to learn that in the winter the most in-demand item for the homeless is actually socks, despite these being one of the least donated items by the public.
A NEWAPPROACH: 5+5 For many years, BDO has offered ten CSR days to everyone. This is often quoted back to us in interviews about why people want to come and work here. But the take-up of days was actually quite low in practice. So the U Board analysed it and talked to our U Leaders and local CSR Champions – which gave us a new idea. Don’t worry – the plan was never to take any of those ten days away; that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. It was to help people use their days in a motivating way that, when put together, really do help our society and teams succeed.
chapter ten
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