Environment, Social, Governance
Our Commitment
We strive to continually improve our impact and drive sustainable change to society and our nearby community.
By establishing our four stakeholder ESG strategy we address the growing environmental, social, and governance concerns. Through enabling our staff to develop their skills in an equitable and healthy environment, we aim to establish trust, ethics and quality with our clients while promoting sustainable economic and environmental development.
ESG KPI
Our ESG KPIs
Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are intended to measure our performance against our goals. By creating targets to gauge progress, we are able to visualize how effectively our firm is achieving our ESG vision.
Our ESG Progress
For each of the material issue above, we established Key Performance Targets as following:
Our People
Annual Employee Survey
As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a positive and productive work
environment, we have established the goal of conducting an annual employee survey. This survey is an important tool that allows us to gather valuable feedback from all of our employees, so that we can understand their experiences, perceptions, and needs. Together, we can work towards our goal of continuous improvement and excellence.
Training Targets
We have set the goal of providing a minimum of 125 hours of training to our employees this year. That’s an average of 25 hours per employee, which we believe is an important investment in their professional development and in the long-term success of our organization. By meeting this training target, we can ensure that our employees have the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to succeed in their roles and contribute to our collective success. In 2023, we achieved a total of 178 training hours, which is 142% of our target!
Healthy Wellbeing
At our organization, we believe that the well-being of our employees is a top priority. That’s why we have established the goal of hosting an annual team wellness day. This day is an opportunity for us to come together as a team and focus on our physical, mental, and emotional health. By prioritizing wellness, we can foster a positive and supportive work culture that helps us all thrive and succeed.
Gender Equality
We are committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality in all aspects of our work. As part of this commitment, we have set the goal of achieving gender parity among our partners and employees. Currently, AWK has a female staff and partner ratio of 67%. We believe that diversity is a strength and that by promoting equal opportunities for all, we can create a more vibrant, innovative, and successful organization.
Our Governance
Ethics and Code
As an accounting firm, it is our responsibility to uphold the highest standards of ethics and conduct at all times. In order to ensure that we are all up to date on these expectations, it is important that we complete our annual ethics and code of conduct training. In year 2023, our goal is to achieve 100% completion of this training by all employees. By participating in this training, we can ensure that we are all aligned in our commitment to ethical behavior and conduct, and that we are able to fulfill our responsibilities to ourselves, our colleagues, and our customers.
Data Security
At our organization, we place a high priority on ensuring the safety and security of our employees, our customers, and our operations. To this end, we have established the goal of conducting an annual review of our data security measures. This review will allow us to assess the effectiveness of our existing protocols and to identify any areas for improvement. By conducting this review, we can ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect against data breaches and other threats to our information systems.
Our Economy
Job Opportunities
We are devoted to supporting the economic growth and prosperity of the communities in which we operate. Due to that, we have established the goal of creating new jobs locally, with a target of a 50% increase annually. It demonstrates our commitment to being a responsible and engaged corporate citizen, and we can make a positive difference in the lives of our neighbors. In 2023, there was replacement of employees and no increase in hiring headcount. In 2022, 22% more jobs have been created at AWK for local candidates!
Our Social Impact
Community Engagement – Donations
We believe in being good corporate citizens and giving back to the communities in which we operate. That’s why we have set the goal of donating at least 1% of our net profits to charities and non-profit organizations. By meeting this goal, we can demonstrate our commitment to being responsible and socially responsible, and we can contribute to creating a better future for all. In 2023, AWK supported Grace Chinsee Gospel Church of North York, Compassion Canada, and Scott Mission!
Community Engagement – Volunteering
It is important for us to play an active role in our community where we serve our clients. We have established a goal of total of 300 hours volunteer hours each year as a firm, including skill-based volunteer hours, and at least 30% of partners on one or more of not-for-profit boards During 2023, we have contributed 505 total volunteer hours and one of our partners also served as the Treasurer on the board of a local NFPO, achieved our target at 33%.
30% of Partners on Not-for-Profit Boards
As an accounting firm, we believe in the value of corporate social responsibility and in the importance of giving back to our communities. One way we are working towards this goal is by encouraging our partners to serve on the boards of not-for-profit organizations. We have set the target of having at least 30% of our partners serving in this capacity. We believe that this is an excellent way for our partners to use their skills, expertise, and leadership to make a positive difference in the world.
Support Education, Training, and Upskilling of the Social Sector
We are committed to investing in the professional development of our employees and to supporting the growth and success of new graduates and Canadian newcomers. To this end, we have established the goal of creating a CPA training or career training program for these groups. This program will provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need to succeed in their careers, and to make a positive contribution to our organization and to the broader community. AWK is proud to be a part of the Pre-Approved Program by CPA Ontario, and as an educational institution by ESDC.
Our Environment
Champion Environmental Stewardship
As an accounting firm, we are committed to being good stewards of the environment and to taking proactive steps to protect and preserve the natural world. In 2023, AWK has worked together with One Tree Planted Canada to plant 2023 trees in different regions across Canada. We believe that this is a meaningful and impactful way to contribute to the health and sustainability of our planet. By meeting this target, we can demonstrate our commitment to environmental responsibility, and we can make a tangible difference in the health and well-being of our world.
We are also committed to minimizing our environmental impact and to being good stewards of natural resources. We have established the goal of reducing our water and electricity consumption by 5% per employee. We will work to identify and implement strategies that will help us to achieve this goal, and we encourage all employees to play a role in this effort. In 2022, the actual electricity consumption rate has been reduced by 18% per employee. In 2023, our electricity consumption rate has increased by 18% per employee, mainly to the more increase use of office after pandemic and increase of headcounts year over year. We continue to put in efforts to monitor our consumption and strive to reduce consumption in the coming year!
The AWK team went out for an activity-filled day for our 2022 Wellness Day!
Starting with visiting the Toronto Botanical Gardens, the team was able to enjoy the wonderful weather and all the beautiful flowers and plants that were in bloom! The team was able to change up their day-to-day routine from sitting behind a computer screen all day to walking the trails.
In the afternoon, the team was able to exercise their personal creativity and artistic nature at the Gardiner Museum’s pottery classes! While some struggled throwing the clay, others were able to easily form and shape their creations. But in the end, everyone was able to create something of their own!
Their final activity of the day was axe throwing! It was a great deal of fun and very stress relieving for everyone!