Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• People
• Clients & Candidates
• Communities & Culture
• Environment

Environmental Achievements

• Scope 1 & 2 mandatory emissions per head are down to 1.15 from the 2013 base year revised number of 1.37, a decrease of 16%
• Whole of Robert Walters’ Group operations were carbon balanced through a partnership with the Woodland Trust and a Carbon Balanced programme in Vietnam via World Land Trust

Social Achievements

• Charitable donations of £57,000
• Global Charity Day raised £113,000
• Supported various charities across the globe (Dress for Success, Youngcare, Fundación Atresmedia, The Alzheimer’s Society Ireland, Capuchin Day Centre, Our Lady’s Hospice, Hotel Heppie, The Children Are Us Foundation, Club Rainbow, Anbe Sivam Charity Home, China Children and Teenagers’ Fund, SF-Marin Food Bank)
• Diversity policy forms a critical part of our staff induction programme and all employees participate in our diversity workshops

Governance Achievements

• Implemented a policy to ensure that there will be an equal gender quota for any future long list for a Board appointment
• No significant SEE risks were identified during 2016
• Continued FTSE4Good status since 2008

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Economic environment: Job availability and candidate confidence impacting recruitment transactions
• Business model: Competition risk varying across regions, emergence of new technology platforms
• People management: Recruiting and retaining talented individuals, limited skills supply in emerging markets
• Brand and reputation: Risk of impact from failure to maintain high-quality service levels
• Laws and regulations: Compliance with numerous domestic and international laws and regulations
• Technology: Reliance on technological infrastructure, risk of system disruption or data loss
• Foreign exchange: Unfavorable movements in foreign exchange rates impacting translation of overseas operations

Mitigation Strategies

• Geographic diversification (28 countries), development of contract and Resource Solutions businesses
• Development of strong commercial relationships with clients, monitoring social media trends
• Linking bonuses to profitability, long-term incentive schemes, investment in employee training and development, succession planning, international career opportunities
• Quality control standards, candidate and client satisfaction surveys, ‘Contact us’ email address
• Legal department working with external advisors, thorough review of contractual terms and conditions, escalation process for non-standard contracts
• Comprehensive IT security policy, regular reviews, secure data storage, employee training, Business Continuity Plan
• Minimizing transactional exposure, no material net foreign exchange exposures, regular sensitivity analysis

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: FTSE4Good

Certifications: ISO 14001 (24% of employees in certified locations)

Awards & Recognition

• Best National Recruitment Agency at the National Online Recruitment Awards
• Top 3 most socially engaged recruiters on LinkedIn
• HRM Asia Readers’ Choice Award for best HR tech (Talentsource)
• Readers’ Choice Award for best client experience
• Top 30 professional services company of the year (Spain)
• Best international recruitment company (Japan)

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Engaging our workforce
• Enhancing our equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) initiatives
• Responding to a sustainable world of work
• Reducing our environmental impact
• Supporting our communities
• Being a responsible business

Environmental Achievements

• Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions were down 21% on the previous year
• Business travel emissions reduced by 40% per head
• Offset more than 2,945 tonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2022 through World Land Trust
• Planted 18,990 trees in collaboration with the World Land Trust

Social Achievements

• 82% of employees completed the global employee engagement survey, with an overall engagement index of 79%
• Launched a new global leadership development programme in Resource Solutions
• Launched Recruiter Academy, with over 50 participants in 2022
• Launched Rejoin programme to support professionals returning to the workforce
• 75% of employees said they feel a sense of belonging
• Launched two new regional ED&I councils, bringing the total to eight globally
• Launched e-guides on gender, ethnicity, age, disability and socio-economic inclusion
• Delivered Recruitment Inclusivity Audit to clients including AXA, Phoenix Group and NHS Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust
• Assisted over 1,000 Ukrainians find new jobs through goodjob
• Helped over 100,000 Ukrainians find new educational opportunities through goodjob
• Made over 300 mentor/mentee matches through goodjob

Governance Achievements

• Joined the UN Global Compact
• Named a finalist in ESG Investing’s ESG Reporting Awards 2022
• Established ESG Committee in 2021, which met six times in 2022
• Incorporated environmental targets into Executive Directors’ KPIs

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Rising energy costs
• Talent attraction and retention in a changing climate
• Enhanced carbon reporting obligations
• Acute asset damage from extreme weather
• Climate impact on physical work conditions
• Climate-related cost of living crisis

Mitigation Strategies

• Commitment to choosing low-carbon and renewable energy, targeting 100% use of renewable energy by 2035
• Commitment to reducing total energy consumption
• Embedding purpose throughout business activities and into the employee value proposition (EVP)
• Regular review of climate-related corporate reporting and disclosures
• Geographically diversified operations and disaster recovery processes
• Provision of remote working capabilities
• Wellbeing of our people is a high priority. The Group has management and HR support available in all locations to assist employees in managing productivity and wellbeing in offices where climate has an impact on working conditions.
• Competitive remuneration and benefits packages
• Global Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Zero-tolerance policy for bribery and modern slavery
• Ethical behavior required of all suppliers
• Prompt payment and mutually beneficial contractual terms

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Extreme weather events (e.g., floods)
• Impact on physical work conditions

Transition Risks

• Rising energy costs
• Talent attraction and retention
• Enhanced carbon reporting obligations
• Climate-related cost of living crisis

Opportunities

• Helping stakeholders adapt to climate change and the transition to a sustainable economy
• Increased demand for green skills

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: TCFD, UN Global Compact

Certifications: ISO 14001, Clear Assured bronze status, L-boshi certification (Japan), Level 2 Disability Confident Committed

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Employee Sustainability Proposition Audit

Awards & Recognition

• Finalist in ESG Investing’s ESG Reporting Awards 2022
• Women Back to Work DE&I award
• TIARA Awards MENA Best Recruitment Company to Work For award
• Great Place to Work® in Japan
• Best Arts and Culture Programme (Gold) and Best Collaboration for a Single Event (Silver) at the Corporate Engagement Awards

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Engaging our workforce
• Enhancing our equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) initiatives
• Responding to a sustainable world of work
• Reducing our environmental impact
• Supporting our communities
• Being a responsible business

Environmental Achievements

• Total Group emissions reduced in 2023 against the base year by 39%
• Percentage of offices that use 100% renewable energy sources in 2023: 32%
• Reduction in business travel emissions per head on the 2019 base year: 43%
• Number of trees planted since our plant a tree programme launched in 2020: 61k
• Percentage of company cars that are hybrid or electric vehicles in the UK and EU in 2023: 47%
• Percentage of offices where single-use plastics have been eliminated in 2023: 80%

Social Achievements

• 86% of employees completed the employee engagement survey (up from 82% last year), with 79% feeling aligned to the company purpose.
• 73% of employees felt a sense of belonging (down 2% from last year).
• Launched ESG for HR consultancy service.
• Percentage of promotions awarded to those identifying as women in 2023: 59%
• Amount raised through Global Charity Day fundraising in 2023: £139k
• Amount donated to charities through corporate donations in 2023: £339k

Governance Achievements

• Accepted as a participant of the United Nations Global Compact.
• Named runner-up in the Best Company for Social Responsibility (Small Cap) category at the Corporate ESG Awards 2023.
• Listed as a constituent member of the FTSE4Good Index for the 15th consecutive year.
• Executive remuneration linked to ESG targets: 5% bonus opportunity, 10% LTIPS opportunity

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Difficult recruitment market conditions and global economic and political uncertainty impacting employee sense of belonging.
• Rising energy costs.
• Younger talent increasingly aligning personal purpose with employer’s purpose.
• Enhanced carbon reporting obligations.
• Acute asset damage from extreme weather events.
• Climate impact on physical work conditions.

Mitigation Strategies

• Reviewed and improved benefits packages in each region.
• Further understanding of ‘belonging’ at the Group.
• Wellbeing awareness and education tools and resources.
• Commitment to choosing low-carbon and renewable energy, targeting 100% use by 2035.
• Reducing total energy consumption.
• Embedding purpose throughout business activities and into the employee value proposition (EVP).
• Annual review of climate-related corporate reporting and disclosures.
• Geographically diversified operations and disaster recovery processes.
• Provision of remote working capabilities.
• Management and HR support available to assist employees in managing productivity and wellbeing.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Environmental Code of Conduct for suppliers
• Sustainability Policy Statement

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Extreme weather events (floods)
• Climate impact on physical work conditions

Transition Risks

• Green skills gap
• Client pressure to decarbonise
• Climate migrants and brain drain
• Rising energy costs
• Enhanced carbon reporting obligations
• Talent attraction and retention

Opportunities

• Increased demand for green skills
• Support clients in achieving their ESG objectives
• Growth in sustainable and ESG-aligned investment and skills

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: TCFD, UN Global Compact

Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 9001, ISO 45001, Achilles Network Silver, Cyber Security Certified, ConstructionLine Social Value Certificate

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• ESG for HR consultancy service
• Recruit-Train-Deploy programme

Awards & Recognition

• Runner-up in Best Company for Social Responsibility (Small Cap) at Corporate ESG Awards 2023
• Finalist in ESG Related Charity Partnership of the Year at 2023 ESG Awards
• Product Innovation of the Year: Software, Systems and Services at the edie Awards 2023 (for Recruitment Inclusivity Audit)
• Innovation of the Year at the TALiNT International Annual Recruitment Awards (for ESG for HR solution)
• Best ESG Strategy at the HR Excellence Awards (for client partner Triodos Bank UK)