Written By: Caitlyn Meyers, CPA, FSA Credential Holder
Corporate transparency is a hot topic for anyone involved in ESG reporting, investing, or running a company. In today’s world it’s considered essential for fostering trust, accountability, and sustainability within organizations. With that in mind, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) created the Just label in 2014 as a way for companies to evaluate themselves through the lens of social justice and equity, which is often overlooked in many traditional annual reports. We’re proud to say that Catalyst Partners has been a Just organization since 2021. Today, we celebrate the recent renewal of our Just label and explore the exponential improvements we have made in the past two years.
Catalyst Partners has long been recognized for our dedication to ethical business practices. From the environmental services we offer to our treatment of employees, we have consistently demonstrated a commitment to doing right by both people and the planet. However, even the most ethically minded companies recognize that there’s always room for improvement. With the 2023 renewal of our Just label, we set out to raise the bar even higher.
One area that we specifically set our sights on is the Equity category. In 2022, Catalyst Partners began the process of becoming employee-owned, which has greatly impacted our Just scorecard. We’ve used this transition as an opportunity to take a more critical look at our policies and procedures, specifically looking for areas to become more equitable. We’ve also improved our scorecard through mindful salary benchmarking to ensure all employees are being paid a fair and livable wage.
Here at Catalyst Partners, we strive to make sure that we’re actually practicing what we preach. As consultants for both LEED and WELL certifications, as well as a recent recipient of the Health & Safety Rating from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), we strongly believe in the importance of employee health. That category for our Just label increased dramatically in 2023. To earn those points, we’ve created policies documenting our annual wellness incentive for employees, our bicycle-friendly business initiative, and a recent commitment to the CDC Workplace Health Model based on insights gained from our annual Employee Health and Wellness Survey.
As a Grand Rapids based operation, we aim to support local businesses in the purchasing of team meals. In alignment with this, Catalyst Partners has increased our efforts to engage with local communities through multiple pathways. We incentivize employees to walk or bike to work to reduce traffic and pollution. We also share our food that is grown in the office garden with community members and donate a percentage of our profits to local non-profit organizations. However, our community engagement is not confined to Grand Rapids. Many of our employees are remote workers and are based all over the United States. As a way to encourage active participation in their own communities, we offer each employee up to 24 paid volunteer hours to be used at their discretion each year.
Last, Catalyst Partners is committed to continuous improvement (it’s also one of our core values). Through regular evaluations, surveys, and feedback, we have identified areas for improvement and are taking decisive actions to address them. It is our goal to not only increase the points on our Just label at the next renewal, but to make lasting changes for the benefits of all stakeholders, regardless of what that looks like on paper.
As consumers increasingly demand transparency, accountability, and sustainability from the companies they support, the importance of certifications like the Just label cannot be overstated. We truly believe in this ethos, which is why we put in the time and effort every two years to not only renew our certification but improve upon it.
If this is something that you feel is a good next step for your company, Catalyst Partners is here to help. Our team of consultants can walk you through the documentation process and help you identify areas for improvement. The Just label can be a great first step in corporate transparency.
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