Welcome to our 2021 Impact Report. The launch of our 2020 report was in the midst of a world reeling from the shock and severity of a global pandemic; today, our efforts focus on moving into a new phase.
Guided by Deloitte’s Shared Values—to lead the way, take care of each other, foster inclusion, collaborate for measurable impact and serve with integrity—we reinvented the way we interact with clients and learned how to be effective virtually. We exceeded expectations in nearly every measure of performance. In FY21, Deloitte emphasised our people-first approach by supporting the physical and emotional well-being of our professionals. Our focus wasn’t just internal. We applied our problem-solving expertise to deliver solutions and support to communities hit hard by the pandemic. And together we doubled down on our commitment to lead the way on the biggest challenges of our time.
Although the pandemic is still part of our context, the impact of our people in Deloitte Ireland has helped colleagues, clients and communities move through seemingly insurmountable challenges and towards a more positive future. Our 2021 Impact Report illustrates their commitment and hard work truly demonstrating Deloitte’s purpose.
Our role as a responsible business in driving change where we have the most impact is one we take seriously. Our Transparency Report is another publication which is an important source of information on how we deliver our audit services to the highest levels of quality. It shows how we make an impact through our audit practice on our people, our audited entities and wider society through our processes - from internal controls, risk management and governance to independence and ethics.
Our business makes decisions based on our drive to be purpose-led, and the choices we make are the ones we believe will make a positive impact for clients, community, people and the planet.
Our 2021 Impact Report is a glimpse into examples of great collaboration in action – and a picture of the future world our people are shaping.
Our cloud transformation expertise helped the Department of Social Protection process over 1 million applications for Covid support services, while our analytics capability bolstered wide-spread COVID testing by tenfold. Deloitte RPA solutions have accelerated processes like jobseekers’ applications, PUP arrears, and illness benefits.
Client impact
As businesses grappled with the mammoth task of finalising reporting alongside the other considerable impacts on their operations, our Audit and Assurance team innovated and led them through new approaches. This included virtual stock taking to meet audit requirements and give company shareholders the appropriate level of assurance over the existence of stock.
Small business owners across EMEA were a cohort profoundly impacted by the pandemic. Our Forensic, Consulting and Risk Advisory teams assisted Facebook with the design and implementation of their ‘Small Business Grants Programme’ for the EMEA region; a programme that provided a total of $100 million USD to the businesses who needed it most.
Planet impact
Our people collaborate both within the firm and with our suppliers to make an impact that matters for our planet. From working with our suppliers to ensure old IT equipment is recycled making sure none of it goes to landfill, to donating laptops for patients in isolation, financially vulnerable students and to support home schooling, our commitment to sustainability reverberated across the community. Our social campaign for WorldClimate was activated globally in April 2021, with the iAct Quiz, encouraging people to think about their own climate choices around travel, food, home and purchasing and to inspire others by sharing the commitment on social media. Interactive sessions enabled our people to share their own experience and perspectives including a sustainable finance talk and a Climate Action Hackathon. Wider family members also participated in our education session with Seal Rescue Ireland alongside a photography and insect hotel building competition. Constructively engaging our wider community in the climate crisis and actions they can take.
At a time when travel wasn’t possible, our volunteers still made an impact overseas because of a pilot with Nurture Africa, building on the connection our organisations have had since 2013. Eight volunteers connected virtually with staff in Uganda to support in areas ranging from marketing strategy to leadership masterclasses.
Community impact
Our Community Impact Week, which connects Deloitte professionals to charities who need their skills, inspired our people to activate and live their personal purpose. What had previously been an annual day that took place in person – Impact Day – was transformed into a week-long, entirely virtual event. Through this transformation we created more opportunities for our people to work with charity and NGO organisations in assisting them in their mission.
During a year when most charities had at least one significant annual fundraiser cancelled due to the restrictions and public health guidelines, we wanted to make a big impact on the fight against homelessness. I was personally delighted to participate in the Focus Ireland Shine a Light Night sleep out alongside five of our partners, raising €63,000 for Focus Ireland, which will support thirty-eight families with intensive case management for six months.
Given the impact of COVID-19 on the not-for-profit sector, we opted to redirect funds that would traditionally have been used for internal celebration events at Christmas time, and instead donated to the causes that meant the most to our people – cancer and mental health. Our People’s Choice vote allowed our people to choose the causes that are important to them. €20,000 of the total was donated to charities across the breath of the not-for-profit sector from animal and environmental causes, to hospitals, hospice and children’s groups supporting the most vulnerable in our society in all the communities where our people live.
People impact
Recognising that the world has been flipped upside down for not only the workforce, but those seeking to enter into it, in collaboration with our creative consultants ACNE, we committed to providing a place where graduates could thrive through being more ‘human’ at work, through our “Humans Wanted” recruitment campaign. Our inclusive approach to hiring is further brought to life through our involvement with networks like CWIT (Connecting Women in Technology), as main sponsor of iWish, as participants in the STEM Teacher Internship (STInt) Programme and through partnering with the FIT tech apprenticeship programme.
This year, “Find Your Why” workshops were established to facilitate our people reflecting on why they do what they do and sharing with colleagues their individual purpose. The stories in this year’s Impact Report are the outcomes of having people who are purpose-led working in an organisation which aligns to their values. If the stories in this report are just a glimpse of what can be, and has been, accomplished in the most challenging of times, it’s a source of immense pride and optimism for our future and brighter days ahead.
I hope you enjoy reading this report and get some insight into our people, our values and our purpose.
Harry Goddard
CEO, Deloitte Ireland