Term ESG is not a novel idea or a concept in modern business parlance and same is true for derivative concepts such as ESG Reporting and ESG Investing. ESG guides us to be environmentally sustainable, socially responsible, and standby principles of good governance when we transact business. All responsible corporate citizens have shown their willingness to adhere to principles of ESG with varying degree of commitment. Since inception we as CONIFS never lost sight of ESG and our actions speak for that. More recently we have been asking the question ‘are we doing enough?’ from ourselves. That is how we have been drawn to ‘Equity’ and then from ESG to EESG.
Our construct of ‘Equity’ in the context of ESG centers around the question whether we are doing enough compared to our capabilities?’ Yes, we have tried to be environmentally sustainable by allowing our employees to work from home and thereby reduce carbon emissions and improve psychological wellbeing of employees by cutting down the stress of commuting. But can we do more to towards environmental sustainability and be socially responsible. Driven by this we have given more opportunities for female candidates and at the moment women account for 50% of workforce. We constantly promote female employees to leadership positions and committed to opening new avenues to create flexible environments for working parents.
As responsible employer we pegged our employee salaries Euro to absorb the effect of inflation in Sri Lanka and we did it with transparent and equitable manner. In our effort to be socially responsible, we focused our efforts on youth empowerment. This year we have increased number of internship opportunities for university undergraduates and working hard to increase the quality of internship with focused training, opportunities for explore new things and better compensation. In an economic situation where most are vying to reduce expenditure, we have decided to increase our CSR budget with the aim of consoling fellow citizens who are in distress.
At CONIFS, ESG is not cliché or just another tag line but contrary it is a governing principle and all at CONIFS are committed to it. From ESG we in journey towards EESG with increased focus on whether our efforts and commitment towards ESG is proportionate to our capabilities.
