The Economist Group's guiding principles
The Group operates in a clear and ethical context, and the Board has therefore approved the following guiding principles:
- We aim to offer insight, analysis and services that are valued by our customers.
- Underpinning our ability to fulfil this objective is our commitment to independence, integrity and delivering high quality in everything we do. These values govern our relationships with readers, customers and clients, shareholders, staff, suppliers and the community at large.
- We believe in conducting business with common decency. We are opposed to bribery and do not engage in corrupt practices. We abide by strict guidelines governing the acceptance of gifts and the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.
- We are opposed to modern slavery and human trafficking, both in our business and in our supply chain. See our Modern Slavery Act statement here, for more information.
- As an international company, we conduct business in many different markets around the world. In the countries in which we operate, we abide by local laws and regulations. We make an active contribution to local charities by charitable giving. We encourage our people to participate in charitable and community activities and we permit them to take time off for this purpose. We match employee donations of time and money to charities.
- We respect environmental standards and comply with relevant local laws. We take environmental issues seriously.
- The Economist and its sister publications, 1843 and The World In series, account for the majority of our annual spend on paper and printing. All suppliers of paper and print services used in producing these publications adhere to one or more of the following internationally recognised environmental standards: ISO 14001, FSC and PEFC.
- We value our colleagues and treat each other fairly. The Group is committed to equality of opportunity in all employment practices and policies. We do not discriminate against employees or job applicants based on the grounds of age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, religion, national origin or disability. We support staff who through disability or illness are unable to perform their duties, by adapting the work environment and hours of work to suit the employee where it is reasonable for the business.
- The Group is committed to increasing staff diversity. We particularly focus on ensuring that we recruit from the widest possible pool of talent. We are also keen that people feel comfortable and valued at work, regardless of their background. We recognise that it is essential to keep employees informed of the progress of the Group. We regularly provide employees with information on the Group’s activities and its financial performance through staff meetings and communication through our intranet. We have a strong consultative culture and we follow legal and regulatory requirements to consult with staff on major issues affecting the company.
- The Group is committed to achieving gender parity. Our gender pay gap report (published March 22nd 2019) shows that we employ similar numbers of men and women; however, we need to provide more opportunities for women to progress to more senior management levels.