The Scottish Business Pledge – when words must match actions

iMultiply is delighted to support the Scottish Business Pledge, where we’re pleased to report we’ve been given the thumbs up, meeting the membership criteria as well as already excelling in the other pledge elements.

The Scottish Business Pledge is ‘a values-led partnership between Government and business that is based on boosting productivity and competitiveness through fairness, equality and sustainable employment’. For a business to be recognised it needs to first meet three core Business Pledge elements by ensuring all employees are paid the real Living Wage or above, have no inappropriate Zero Hours contracts and are taking action to close the gender pay gap.

Next, the business needs to commit to at least five of the seven other Pledge elements to achieve over time; workforce engagement, skilled and diverse workforce, environmental impact, innovation, internationalisation, community, prompt payment.

iMultiply operate from a solid foundation of positive values, which include innovation, integrity and inclusion, with people at the heart of everything we do. Therefore, committing to the Scottish Pledge was a no-brainer. However, we realise not everyone will be up for this challenge.  Taking that step to commit to fairness and diversity demands action to ‘make it so’.

We have empathy with businesses that aim high but struggle to find like-minded colleagues who share aspirant values. Recognising the challenge does not mean accepting that it can’t be achieved. At iMultiply we work on recruiting individuals that match the values of ethical companies needing the best skills and talent.

As a recruitment company we believe that we should lead by example, that means looking at our own values and behaviours. Our core values were co-created and defined by the team and they are part of everything we do. They form an integral part of our internal recruitment process, they are used as measures in our performance reviews, and we regularly celebrate and reward those who outshine. Our business has grown through our reputation and commitment to candidate and employer satisfaction, and unusually customer feedback drives consultant remuneration.

In practice, the employees who we retain are aligned with our values. We prize personal development and those who support team growth over narrow self-serving reward. Ensuring a fair, diverse and inclusive culture is something we’re continually working to improve and see this as a journey with no finish line. Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee drive various initiatives to ensure we’re continually learning and challenging ourselves. Recently being awarded the LGBT Charter was great recognition that we are embedding the right processes deep within the organisation.

Being part of the business landscape that supports the local ecosystem and community is one of our guiding principles. Our ‘giving back’ policy has involved using our networking skills to find pro-bono accountants for charities and social enterprises. We have supported and mentored fledgling entrepreneurs, as well as helping young people upskill through our partnership with Project Scotland.

For us, committing to the Scottish Business Pledge is not difficult, we meet all of the criteria and more. This initiative is really positive in providing a guiding light for organisations and supports us sense-checking our own path. The Scottish Business Pledge elements are an essential pillar of sustainable business and supports Scotland’s reputation for producing innovative, forward-thinking, ethical businesses.  However, we don’t pretend that it is easy.

Get in touch if hearing more about the practical steps we’ve taken can assist your business in meeting the Scottish Business Pledge. Or perhaps you’d like to discuss how best to hire individuals who match your company’s values.