Our opportunity to make a difference

Being good corporate citizens has always been core to the way we do business, and the Group is committed to being a responsible business with strong ethical policies, procedures and practices.

As a participant of the UN Global Compact, we are proud to be taking responsible business action to secure a sustainable future. With robust ESG governance in place and diverse skills and experience on our Board and management committees we are committed to responsible oversight, accountability and transparency. 

Our ambition is to meet the evolving expectations of best practice governance, ensuring we always operate responsibly and with strong internal oversight.

 

Our targets

8%
Of executive remuneration bonus opportunity linkedin to ESG targets

10%
Of executive remuneration LTIPS opportunity linked to ESG targets 

1%
Annual rate of serious injuries and fatalities no more than 1%

2023
Join and comply with the obligations of the UN Global Compact

Joining the UN Global Compact

In January 2023, we were very proud to join the UN Global Compact, a voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices. Joining with other leading global companies we are taking action to create a more sustainable future by aligning our strategy and operations with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - 10 universally accepted principles covering human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with more than 15,000 companies and 3,800 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and more than 69 local networks.

 

Building on our ESG initiatives

Our ESG Committee, made up of members of our Board, senior management team and senior business support function stakeholders, drives forward our ESG strategy.

The committee worked closely with specialist ESG consultancy Sillion and key stakeholders to understand the areas where we can have the greatest impact as a business, to inform the development of our long-term ESG strategy and align it with the UN's SDGs.

in 2022 we commissioned Sillion to conduct a materiality assessment, to further understand the key ESG issues that have the most impact on the Group, and to build on our existing ESG initiatives,.

Engaging our stakeholders

We're committed to being a responsible business by ensuring we have taken the time to understand our key stakeholders to make sure we are delivering exceptionally high-quality service to our clients and candidates, creating a positive employee experience for our people, that are supporting the communities in which we operate and treating our suppliers ethically, and that we are delivering returns for our shareholders.

 

See how we engage our stakeholders >

Data privacy and security

The safety and security of personal data has never been more important. The Robert Walters Group takes a proactive approach to safeguarding the data that we're entrusted with by our clients, candidates and colleagues, and maintains a robust framework of policies and procedures to ensure personal privacy is upheld, as well as key accreditations to ensure we our process are best practice.

 

How we protect the data we hold >


 

Continuing to be recognised as an ESG leader

In 2022 we were proud to be recognised as a leader in ESG reporting for the second year in a row, with the Group named as a finalist in ESG Investment’s ESG Reporting Awards, for the Best Sustainability Reporting: Services category. The ESG Reporting Awards is an international programme recognising the best in sustainability and climaterelated reporting by listed companies. We were also named as a constituent member of the FTSE4Good Index for the 14th consecutive year

 

Accreditations and partnerships

We are committed to demonstrating that we are aligned with best practice frameworks by independent evaluation of our processes and ESG policies. We continue to be Cyber Security Certified, the scheme backed by the UK government to help businesses ensure they are protected from cyber threats. Our Singapore and Paris offices are Ecovadis silver rated, and the London office is bronze rated. We are certified under the Safety Schemes in Procurement Competence programme, have achieved silver status with the Achilles Network, a supply chain pre-qualification assessment that covers all key risk and compliance areas, and we hold a ConstructionLine Social Value Certificate, a supply chain prequalification system that assesses health and safety and ESG factors. Our Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Kuala Lumpur, London and Paris offices are all also ISO 9001 certified

Operating ethically and responsibly

Part of the Group’s responsibility as an industry leader is to maintain the highest ethical standards in all our operations, as outlined in our Ethical Conduct Policy. We also maintain a zero-tolerance policy against corruption and bribery, which applies to all directors, employees and contractors undertaking work on behalf of the Group.

With regards to our impact on the wider workforce and society at large, the Group is committed to protecting all workers’ rights in accordance with local labour legislation, and we remain vigilant for signs of slavery and human trafficking.

Browse our policy library to learn more about the Group's corporate governance and how we maintain ethical business practices in all we do.

Our policy library documents the Group's approach on a range of ESG themes and criteria.

Browse our policy library >