Corporate Responsibility Report 2008

People

In 2008, over 72 per cent. of employees took part in a global employee opinion survey, sharing their views on the way we do business.

Over 90 per cent. of respondents indicated that they were proud to be associated with Schroders and would recommend it as a good place to work. We believe that this is indicative of the high level of employee engagement within the Group.

We used the feedback to benchmark our progress since the last survey in 2005 and against other high performing organisations. The survey indicated that whilst we have improved our communication with employees since 2005, we can do more and this will be a focus for us during 2009.

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Marketplace

In December 2008, Schroders held a Sustainability Conference for over 100 Property Investors, sharing best practice from across Europe in reducing carbon emissions.

The audience of Schroder Property's European teams, joint venture partners and key advisers, heard from leading experts how the Government's drive for more carbon efficient buildings was not slowing despite the current economic crisis.

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Community

In October 2008, forty volunteers, from nine different offices globally, travelled to Caowu, a small village in Guangdong Province in China, to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity, a global charity dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness. Schroders part funded the cost of participating and the volunteers raised over £60,000 for the charity.

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Environment

In September we held a week-long series of internal events in London to advertise and promote the environmental initiatives which are in place at Schroders.

Employees were able to hear about current recycling initiatives and our waste management systems. Displays were organised to visually illustrate the volume of drinking cups and amount of paper consumed in a year, as well as hear about initiatives to reduce these numbers, which included 'cup for life' where visitors to the display received a free reusable vending cup and hints and tips on efficiencies around double-sided and reduced format printing options.

Employees were also educated on environmental actions and energy usage for the home, looking at energy, water and recycling, in conjunction with the City of London Corporation and Global Action Plan.