How is corporate social responsibility essential in improving the image of a company? 

Alexandra Manos, former Head of Communication at Nearform spoke about their partnership with E-ducare and her corporate social responsibility strategy.

As a rapidly growing company, we have an onus of responsibility to look beyond profits, towards the people who make up NearForm, the people who are impacted by us, and the planet which we call home. 

By rolling out a substantive ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) policy, we not only want to manage, reduce and avoid business risk, but more importantly, we want to create opportunities for ourselves & our stakeholders, contribute to the public good, and ensure that we are operating ethically and sustainably to ensure the long term success of our people, our business and our planet. 

Engaging in CSR for us is more than just about bolstering NearForm’s image. Ultimately, our goal is to make a positive impact on the planet and society. If that means boosting our image- then this is a happy coincidence, however measurable positive impact for our broad array of stakeholders is the ultimate goal.

This is and will continue to be a journey for us. We’re only just getting started, but are keen to improve how we do business and how we empower our people around key ESG topics, including diversity, sustainability and wellness.

Why did NearForm decide to support E-ducare?

One of the ways NearForm has identified to drive change and impact across the Environment, Social and Governance pillars, is by pledging to donate to charitable causes that are in line with our areas of focus. Under the pillar of Social, we are looking to help enable access to education and bridge the digital divide. 

With one of our NearFormers already an active volunteer for E-ducare, it seemed like a natural fit. By working to break the cycle of poverty, empower vulnerable children and provide long-term growth in their local communities, E-ducare is closely aligned with our goals to facilitate access to education and help people access the educational benefits of technology. 

What did you do?

I can’t take too much credit here- my role in this partnership is as a facilitator. I’m part of the NearForm Making a Difference group, where those of us interested in CSR and charitable activities meet and discuss ways to give back as a company and subsequently how to engage the wider staff. I have a vested interest in this as I am currently doing my Masters in Corporate Governance, specialising in ESG and what business conditions are required to ensure substantive CSR efforts. 

Which activities are NearForm planning to carry out for endorsing corporate social responsibility and sustainability ?

Outside of charitable giving, we have a lot of projects that have recently kicked off internally, including the development of an employee wellbeing programme, research into our carbon footprint and the development of a strategy to enable us to achieve net zero in the next five years, and much more.

It’s a very exciting time for NearForm as we work towards bettering ourselves and our impact on the planet and society, and while we know many of the projects we have planned will take time, myself and my colleagues are truly excited and passionate about these projects and look forward to seeing them take shape over the coming months.