Overview

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the way in which businesses regulate themselves to ensure that all their activities positively affect society. CSR therefore aims to guarantee that companies work ethically by considering the social, economic, and environmental impacts of business practices. Maxwell Hodge is committed to ensuring that all business practices and procedures are conducted as ethically as possible. We summarise our CSR Policy below.

Looking after Employees

One of the company’s main priorities is to retain loyal and productive staff, which is achieved through maintaining a supportive, inclusive, friendly working environment by:

• Being an Equal Opportunities Employer.
• Operating with an open-door policy for staff to ask questions, raise concerns, and learn.
• Having adequate health and safety policies and procedures.
• Having a formal performance review process.
• Providing training and development and regular opportunities to learn.
• Regularly communicating with staff.
• Annually reviewing salaries.
• Having a Wellbeing Team in place.
• Having social and wellbeing events.

Looking after Clients

Looking after clients is vital to ensure that they have a positive and lasting impression of the company. We are committed to assessing whether there are any gaps between customer expectation and experience, focusing on making improvements to continue meeting client demands and needs.

Suppliers’ Standards

We work with local suppliers, where we can, to ensure they operate with similar business practices to us. Using local suppliers also helps us to protect the environment, for example, reducing waste and using recycled items (e.g. our promo items). We will only work with suppliers that adhere to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and Bribery Act 2010 and with those we can maintain a good working relationship with.

Protecting the Environment

We are committed to reducing the environmental impact that our business activities may have. This includes reducing waste, using less plastic, recycling where we can, and operating as “paper light” across all teams. This latter point not only reduces the amount that we print but also enables us to continue with a hybrid working model.

Community Engagement

Due to the geographical location of our offices, we sit squarely within the communities within which we practice. Our clients largely emanate from those communities. One of the messages that we promote is “in the heart of the community”. It has long been our practice to give back to our local community, via several initiatives:

• Pro bono work
  Including legal advice clinics at different universities (currently Liverpool John Moores University and Edge Hill University).

• Employer Supported Volunteering
  Staff can utilise 2 working days each year to volunteer and support charitable organisations.

• School and College Initiatives
  We offer local schools and colleges support by participating in practice interviews, meet the professionals and career fairs.

• Charity of the Year
  Typically, each year we nominate a charity to work with, and support, not only arranging fundraising events but also working with members, using our skills to assist, including providing seminars and training. From time-to-time, we may support several charities at the same time.

• Community Projects
  Whenever we can, we support local projects, for example, donating food to local animal shelters, and by donating money, food, and toiletry items to foodbanks. We have supported schools by providing raffle prizes and provided sports bottles to hospices for an event. We have also participated in the Liverpool Legal Walk.

• Work Experience
  We offer a variety of work experience placements to students, mainly to university students, who are either mid-way through completing their degree or have recently graduated.

• Team Sponsorship
  Since 2016, we have sponsored several teams across the Liverpool region. We have supported them by providing kits and trophies, and attending awards events, to give, and receive, inspiration.

• Networking Events
  We host a monthly business-networking event called “Simply Castle Street”. Our aim is to promote local business and community initiatives through informal networking meetings. Our events are typically held at one venue, currently San Carlo. See our Networking page for more information.