What can companies do to live up to their social responsibility? This question has been on our minds at doubleSlash for quite some time. As part of an external audit on the Economy for the Common Good (ECG), we were one of the first medium-sized IT companies in Germany to take a close look at various relevant areas of the company—and got some answers.
Digitalization and sustainability—do they go together? Yes, very well indeed!
We take the issue of sustainability seriously because it is firmly anchored in our corporate values and our self-image. Advancing digitalization not only conserves resources—it is also about topics such as co-decision, solidarity and human dignity.
"I found the high level of awareness of social responsibility at doubleSlash remarkable," says GWÖ auditor Manfred Kofranek. "After all, the IT industry is playing a significant role in the social change that is currently taking place."
With doubleSlash founder and Managing Director Konrad Krafft, he finds a sympathetic ear: "We are aware of the social responsibility that IT companies will increasingly face because digitalization will affect all areas of our society in the future. The more sustainably we act here, the more positively we can help shape the future. Technology must serve people and not the other way around."
The cornerstones of our actions are the values of collaboration, openness, sustainability and enthusiasm—that have developed over time and proven themselves time and again. "Our software development is always teamwork, which is why we rely on solidarity and cooperation. To this end, we have established a common foundation of transparent values to which we are committed and which we live by. This means that everyone can rely on each other. That creates trust. A common good balance sheet like this makes it transparent how seriously we take our values. We are happy to face this test."
This special corporate culture also stands out for auditor Manfred Kofranek: "You can tell that doubleSlash has a corporate culture that is characterized by appreciation and openness and also includes external employees. Fair working conditions are not a matter of course in such dynamic industries," he says.
Sustainability has various dimensions
Findan Eisenhut, specialist team leader and IT consultant at doubleSlash, introduced the idea of an ECG balance sheet to our innovation portal in 2019. There was so much encouragement from the workforce that the audit was carried out the following year. This also shows how naturally employees are involved in shaping the company.
"What I particularly like about the common good balance sheet is the combination of ecological and social sustainability and the fact that it also ensures transparency and participation. It takes courage to publish such a comprehensive and externally audited report and to hold up a mirror to ourselves as a company. This is exactly what will help us to find out together what still needs to be done to live up to our responsibility towards society and nature," he says.
The list of questions answered for the audit is more than 150 pages long. On a scale of -3,600 to +1,000, doubleSlash achieved a score of 324.
The social attitude in dealing with funds was rated particularly positively. The reserves at doubleSlash are large enough to be able to pay all salaries even in times of crisis—this provides security and creates perspective.
The topic of internal co-decision-making and transparency also stands out: participation is considered to be above average due to processes such as innovation management or the financial participation of employees in the company.
In terms of cooperation and solidarity with other companies, we stand out, for example, through the sharing of know-how and further training opportunities that are also offered to employees from partner companies.
Product transparency, for example through the strong involvement of customers in projects or the sharing of technological knowledge via an external blog, also has a positive impact on our sustainability balance sheet.
However, potential for improvement is seen in the area of the impact of programming on the ecological footprint. Digital tools could also do more to help combat climate change. We have already taken the first steps in this direction by investing in the non-profit company SCIARA. The system uses data to simulate interactions between climate change, climate protection measures and real human behavior, thus providing an important basis for decision-making, e.g. for policymakers.
For an economy of the future
Leonie Hlawatsch, Head of Human Resources at doubleSlash, sees the audit as a real opportunity for participation. "The Economy for the Common Good bundles our sustainability goals very nicely. On the one hand, we can define for ourselves in line with our values what sustainable action committed to the common good means in concrete terms and how good we are at it so far. On the other hand, we want to use the knowledge we gain to become even better. To this end, we are making transparent how sustainable our actions actually are and anchoring the idea of the Economy for the Common Good in our company. Because we are convinced that an economic model with a future must not only serve profit, it must also focus on human dignity, solidarity and justice—and promote the participation of all. With a common good balance sheet, we make our personal progress measurable and visible to everyone."
About the Economy for the Common Good
The Economy for the Common Good is an international movement with many people, companies and communities, at the center of which is a sustainable economic system that is about people and the environment. The vision: "Living well in a world in which the economy is in harmony with ethical values".
At the heart of the ECG is the Common Good Balance Sheet, which uses a points system to examine the extent to which the values of human dignity, solidarity & justice, ecological sustainability and transparency & co-decision are taken into account in corporate activities.
+49 7541 70078-708
