Deloitte and the UN Global Compact: Our Communication on Progress

Author: 2004/2005

Deloitte's global Shared Values and Ethical Principles are the basis for our interaction with our clients, our people and the public — and are aligned with the principles of international Human Rights. We seek to comply not only with the letter but also with the spirit of the law wherever we operate and have programs in place that support Human Rights in our interaction with key stakeholders.

As a firm, we recognize our responsibility to uphold human rights both in the workplace and more broadly within our sphere of influence. We address human rights in company policy by embedding it in the core values and culture of Deloitte, thus infusing a common respect for each other in our global approach. In the workplace human rights takes the form of non-discrimination and diversity in personnel practices. Our recruiting and retaining activities reflect the commitment to our employees. We protect human rights in the community through poverty alleviation and increasing the levels of education. Some examples are cited below.

At DTT Member Firms

• Employer of Choice strategy: Around the world, DTT member firms have programs which help professionals maintain a healthy work-life balance, manage their careers and performance, develop new skills and knowledge, and secure healthy and safe working conditions. During 2004/2005, DTT’s member firms were featured in at least 20 Employer of Choice rankings around the world.
• Recruiting and Retention: In addition to assessing a potential recruit's core business skills, DTT member firms have systems and processes in place to assess the person's integrity based on past behavioral patterns, cultural fit with the DTT organization, and "performance" skills such as leadership, management, client service, marketing and communication skills. These are part of DTT's competency model and the aim is to ensure more objective and consistent recruiting processes in all member firms. In June 2005, DTT contracted an external vendor to train and certify member firm instructors in structured, behavioral interviewing who can then train other member firm interviewers. By 1 October 2005, 75 instructors had been certified in 22 countries and the plan is for them to train 2500 interviewers by 31 December 2005. Over a period of three years, 5000 DTT member firm interviewers are expected to participate in the training.
• Good Labor Procurement Policy: In the United Kingdom, DTT’s member firm adopted a “Good Labor Procurement Policy”. The purpose is for the firm to purchase goods and services only which are produced and delivered under conditions that do not involve the abuse or exploitation of any persons, in line with the basic principles of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in respect of human rights and conditions of employment.
• Leadership attention to development: At DTT’s annual world meeting in June 2005, DTT leadership entered into dialogue with external experts on early childhood education to discuss how member firms can support early childhood education and thereby help create opportunities for disadvantaged children and a skilled workforce for the future.
• Internal awareness building around sustainable development: In June 2004, DTT's French member firm held an internal conference to draw employees' attention to the urgency of ecosystem preservation and economic and social inequality, inviting the association "Artisans du monde" to present its activities. Organic lunches were offered to employees and equitable trading coffee was provided throughout the company.

In the community

• In South Africa, the African Children's Feeding Scheme feeds approximately 14,000 children daily through 14 centers in SOWETO and Alexandra, amounting to some 5 million meals a year. The Scheme is committed to healthcare, particularly to awareness building around the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Vassi Naidoo, CEO of DTT’s member firm in South Africa, chairs the Management Committee, and Julian Kok, Senior Manager at the Johannesburg Entrepreneur Services of DTT's South African member firm, is also on the Management Committee.
• During IMPACT Day 2004/05, 60 professionals at DTT’s member firm in Mexico provided a total of 480 volunteer hours to the Meyalli School project. The project is devoted to the education of low resources children and their families so that they may enjoy a more dignified and productive life. To support the empowerment of women, Deloitte Mexico particularly focuses support on the Meyalli girls school.
• As part of a Junior Achievement Worldwide initiative in Kenya called “Job Shadow Week”, DTT’s member firm in Nairobi hosted secondary school students for a day at the office, providing them with a close-up look at what a “real” job in the professional services industry is like, thereby helping to bring home the importance of school work for future success.
• Deloitte Brazil is a member of Instituto Qualidade no Ensino (IQE), an entity within the American Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo, whose purpose is to help public schools improve the quality of education. In 2004/05, Deloitte Brazil created and ran a program at the school, Charles de Gaulle, located in a poor community in São Paul. The course aimed to enhance the students' computing skills, offering courses in Windows, Word and Excel modules. 50 students were taught last year and further courses are planned for the coming years.
• Deloitte Thailand raised $17,000US to rebuild two schools owned by the Thai-Hill Tribe in the Mae Tang District. Member firm volunteers helped to build classrooms, a canteen, a playground, toilets, and installed a water system. This effort in 2004 was such a great success that a similar project is planned for another Thai-hill tribe during 2005.
• In Hong Kong, the DTT member firm participates in the Evergreen Project, a program run jointly by the business and the non-profit sectors to enable teams of retired citizens and school aged children to work together to help disadvantaged groups in the community. In 2004/05, 45 Deloitte Hong Kong volunteers mentored the teams and helped them identify relevant projects. The community teams counted a total of 238 young and old volunteers.

Working with clients

• DTT member firms help companies to manage corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues and impacts on society through advisory services on best practice CSR management and through assistance with sustainability reporting. Member firms also provide assurance on such reporting, and help to build effective management systems to effectively handle and act upon information related to the company's economic, social, and environmental impacts.

Contributions to the public debate

• In May 2005, Tim Garmager, a principal of Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, and head of DTT’s engagements with the UN, spoke at the conference "Business and Development - Business Models for Meeting Development Challenges,” co-convened by the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Global Compact.
• In June 2005, Jean-Paul Picard, a member of the DTT Global Executive and CEO of DTT's member firm in France, represented DTT at a meeting in Paris hosted by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, and the political leaders of Great Britain and France. The meeting focused on how businesses can contribute to overcoming poverty in Africa.