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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy

As leaders in digital marketing and experience, innovation, experience and the ability to drive real change has been our hallmark, and that extends equally to our CSR. We continually seek better, safer, more cost effective and sustainable methods of working, while adhering to best practice.

Scope

This policy applies to Optimizely, but also refers to expectations with our vendors, partners, customers and eco-system. We are committed to the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact, readily act to promote our identity as a socially aware and responsible business. Executives must communicate this policy on all levels. Managers are also responsible for resolving any CSR issues.

Continuous improvement to our CSR strategy by:

  • Encouraging our business partners and vendors to implement CSR;
  • Continually improving our performance and meeting all applicable legislation;
  • Informing our staff to be mindful of the effect of their actions on non-renewable resources; and
  • Introducing procedures to assist with implementing CSR.

Elements and Focal Points

This policy is a core aspect as a responsible business that meets the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. We also expect our suppliers, partners and where applicable, customers, to abide by the same. Our focus and responsibility apply compliance (legal obligations and willingness to observe community values) and proactiveness (promotion human rights, help communities and protect our natural environment) in these three main themes:

 

People

Our employees are our most valuable resource and are a key factor in the delivery of services to our clients.

Environment

We fully recognize that our day-to-day operations cause inevitable impact on the environment in a number of ways.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

We have an overall responsibility for ensuring that we maintain high standards of health, safety and wellbeing.

 

Optimizely will always conduct business with integrity and respect for human rights. This includes promoting safety, fair dealing, respect towards each customer, partner and each other, as well as adherence to our comprehensive policies on anti-bribery, anti-corruption, and modern slavery and labor laws.

Environment

Optimizely fully embraces the challenge of preserving the natural environment and lessen the environmental footprint. We fully recognize that our day-to-day operations cause inevitable impact on the environment in a number of ways.

The first issue we tackle is to help our customers and users to minimize the environmental footprint they have by being digital-first in their marketing and business practices, using smart capabilities to drive maximum results with minimal resources. Examples include:

  • reducing energy-use and e-waste through cloud technologies,
  • reducing resource needs and associated environmental footprint through use of automation, business intelligence, and action-oriented analysis.
  • enabling seamless digital collaboration on joint marketing activities, thus reducing the need of travel and co-location of resources.

Secondly, we fully recognize that our day-to-day operations cause inevitable impact on the environment in a number of ways. We are committed to reduce this level of impact through assessing and improving our environmental performance using a documented, maintained, monitored and reviewed sustainability policies that is communicated to all employees.

As a company, we try to be a role model by keeping our environment clean and unpolluted is a benefit to all. Examples include:

  • Working in an entirely digital process flow and not printing unless legally required or no other option available.
  • Championing a distributed working model, policies to reduce unnecessary travel to minimise pollution by travelling and commuting, and if needed, choosing public transport as much as possible.
  • Choosing reusable and renewable materials over disposable as much as possible, from coffee cups to smartphones and laptops.
  • Implementing an employee IT sustainability program, which includes an employee pledge to reduce e-waste and energy use.

Finally, by following industry best practices (such as ISO 14001), as a guide, we employ systems and procedures that ensure the company's compliance with all relevant laws, regulations and other requirements relating to the environment.

Sustainability considerations are fully integrated in our business decision making. We carry out environmental supply chain management to encourage suppliers to adopt environmentally sound practices

People

Our employees are our most valuable resource and are a key factor in the delivery of services to our clients. We recognize that it is the caliber of the people that make up our teams that differentiates us from our competitors. As such, we work hard to recruit, develop and retain the best talent in the industry. We encourage all employees to grow and develop, especially building career plans and framing out development objectives and key results (OKR). Further to this, it is crucial that all employees maintain a high level of technical expertise, therefore regular training and advice is made available.

To ensure that we enhance our employees’ environmental awareness we provide continual training to enable consideration and understanding of environmental issues when planning, undertaking and implementing all initiatives.

We provide our managers with Equal Opportunities advice and support to ensure they have understanding of their obligations allowing them to manage their team fairly and equally in all areas of employment. Ensuring all employees are aware of the company's legal obligations, policies and internal procedures relating to the provision of Equal Opportunities.

Quarterly feedback conversations and written feedback are encouraged with all employees, allowing quality one-to-one time with their manager to discuss their performance, establish new objectives and determine the employee's individual training and development needs that are required to assist in achieving their goals. We periodically conduct pulse checks to measure employee sentiment and create action plans to improve engagement.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Our employees (Optimizers) are the bedrock of our business. We update them with health, safety and wellbeing information on a regular basis, issuing announcements every quarter to keep them engaged and aware of the resources available to them. With 1,600 employees working across 17 countries, we ensure that we not only comply with local health and safety laws but offer each Optimizer the opportunity to access an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), at no cost to employees, which provide a wide range of resources including life consultative services, work/life assistance, legal/financial assistance, and resources for managers.

Further, we provide employees access to fitness/nutrition and other well-being programs, as well as many funded Employee Resource Groups (ERG), which enables Optimizers safe spaces to discuss social topics and promote activities and improvement programs to the rest of Optimizely, be it racial and gender equality, environmental awareness, or challenges younger generations and parents face.

Finally, Optimizely may initiate and promote community investment and educational programs. For example, we donate IT equipment to those in need (e.g. Guinean universities, United Kingdom primary schools). We also provide matching contributions to our employee’s own donations on a variety of social causes. We support, through funding and resources, community improvement efforts, such as assistance at food kitchens and donation distribution centers.

In 2022, we are launching Month of Service to provide coordinated volunteer events for the organization. This is an excellent opportunity to provide service to our global community.

Accountability and Policies

Optimizely’s CSR policy ensures that social and environmental concerns are considered in our all of our business operations. It is the responsibility of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to drive and monitor the implementation of the CSR, Code of Conduct and other policies, the company’s overall environmental, social, health, safety and wellbeing performance and also to provide strategic guidance to all of the operational divisions and support functions, reporting to the Board accordingly.

This Policy Statement and the Responsibilities and Arrangements that support it will be reviewed at least annually, or more frequently where there have been significant changes to the company or the nature of the company’s activities.