People, culture and our journey to B Corp™

Our chief people officer, Amy Taylor, reflects on how colleagues’ experiences of working at PKF Francis Clark have been a key focus on our journey to B Corp™ certification

Throughout my career, I have seen time and again how progressive people practices – such as listening to improve engagement, prioritising health and wellbeing, embracing diversity and acting inclusively – directly strengthen business performance.

As a mum of two young children, I also feel a growing responsibility to think about the world they will inherit. We all have a part to play, both as individuals and as businesses, in protecting their future. Moving back to the South West nearly nine years ago reinforced this for me. It matters that I work for a firm that is genuinely embedded in the fabric of such a beautiful part of the country. It is also clear that these issues matter not only to me but to our current and future colleagues, clients, suppliers and the wider community that we are proud to be part of.

That is why becoming B Corp certified is one of the proudest moments of my career and a real milestone for everyone at PKF Francis Clark. It means a great deal to me personally because it brings together the things I genuinely believe in – that what is good for people and the planet is also good for business. Now seems a fitting time to reflect on our B Corp experience and the changes it has helped us to achieve.

Why B Corp?

When we began our B Corp journey, the firm had recently celebrated its 100th year. Organisations do not reach that kind of milestone by accident. Being good people and delivering outstanding service have always been part of our DNA.

As we emerged from the Covid pandemic, it also became clear that we needed to shift gear if we wanted to remain a truly great place to work and keep pace with evolving expectations. We wanted to strengthen our environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials, but found it challenging to articulate what we were already doing well and where we needed to improve.

Even when we made those improvements, how would people know? We needed a respected and rigorous certification, something that offered a framework across the full breadth of ESG and helped us clearly communicate what we value and how we act as a business. That was when we first considered B Corp.

In the months that followed, we took the time to carry out thorough due diligence, ask the challenging questions and be confident that B Corp was right for us. A key learning for me was that achieving alignment across the partnership was crucial and enabled us to move forward with a shared purpose and commitment.

What has changed?

I have been fortunate to be part of some inspiring cultural change programmes and would include our B Corp journey as one of the most notable. I know from those experiences that when you are in the middle of change, it is often difficult to see what is happening, particularly because meaningful change is usually slow and sometimes messy. Only when you pause and look back can you see how far you have come. With that perspective, I am proud to say that at PKF Francis Clark, our culture has changed to reflect a genuine balance of people, planet and profit.

In practical terms, this means we have updated our LLP members agreement so that the firm is formally committed to considering people, community and environmental impact in every major decision we make. ESG is now fully embedded in our strategy and is a consistent part of our boardroom discussions to ensure our decision-making reflects more than the financials.

It also means reviewing ESG measures alongside traditional performance indicators. To support this, ESG expectations are included in job descriptions, annual objectives and performance reviews. This commitment is also reflected in our training and policies, which raise awareness, uphold fairness and support flexible or hybrid working, sabbaticals and breastfeeding, alongside enhanced parental leave and access to outplacement support during difficult transitions.

During Covid, we introduced regular office-wide colleague Teams calls to keep everyone informed. Over time, these calls have become something far more valuable. They now provide a space for our heads of office to share financial results, celebrate milestones, welcome new colleagues, recognise exam successes and thank colleagues who are leaving, as well as highlighting our wellbeing initiatives, training opportunities and employee benefits. They also help us shine a light on the work of our wellbeing and ESG networks (health and wellbeing champions, mental health first aiders and green teams), charitable giving from the PKF Francis Clark Community Fund, fundraising activity, volunteering days and the all-important next office social.

Our twice-yearly colleague roadshows play an equally important role. At these events, our CEO and COO update colleagues on strategy, share how our engagement survey results have driven changes – like the redesign of reward, grading and pay progression – and respond openly and candidly to questions.

Things I am most proud of

The outcome of this consistent and values-driven approach speaks for itself. Our colleague turnover is well below industry benchmarks, and our engagement score is sector leading. We rank sixth in the UK’s Best Large Workplaces and are recognised as a top 100 apprenticeship employer.

These achievements matter because they reflect what people experience when they walk into any of our nine modern offices or meet one of our friendly team members supporting events in local schools, colleges and universities. Of course, our business performance is also thriving, with growing profits that allow us to reinvest in our people, our workplaces and our future, ensuring the firm continues to be an even better place for everyone.

Next steps

So, what comes next now we are B Corp certified? The needs of our stakeholders continue to evolve, and we must regularly check in with them to ensure the next phase of our ESG strategy reflects what matters most to them.

I am looking forward to joining a growing community of other likeminded B Corps and learning from their experiences. We are also excited to leverage our B Corp certification to share our approach with prospective colleagues and clients.

For now, though, it is a moment to pause, reflect on the progress we have made and, most importantly, celebrate together!

B Corp™ and the client experience