Ethical Reading

Helping organisations in Reading to do the right thing by each other, the wider community and the environment.

Highlights:

Services portal

NatWest Group’s goals to tackle climate change

NatWest Group wants to tackle climate change and has set itself some

The purpose of business and the social licence to operate

1-4 February 2021 saw the British Academy’s ‘Future of the Corporation’ programme

Making Reading a better place to live and work

Ethical Reading exists to help organisations in Reading and their teams do the right thing by each other, the wider community and the environment and to thrive in the process. It is all about encouraging people to take a compassionate, respectful and responsible approach when making decisions at every level from the board room to everyday interactions.

Sparking an Ethical Cities movement

We want to maximise the positive change we are creating here in Reading by helping to establish ethical hubs in different towns and cities throughout the UK and beyond, kick-starting an Ethical Cities movement.

Our vision is of a Reading where:

a strong ethical culture prevails in organisations
businesses ensure they have a positive impact on society and the environment
employers take the wellbeing of their staff seriously
employees feel empowered, engaged and valued
people treat each other with respect, responsibility and compassion

What is ethics and
why does it matter?
What is Ethical Reading?
Balancing people, planet
and profit

Essentially ethics is about moral principles and values that guide the way we act. It is about doing the right thing for the people around us, wider society and the environment but also for ourselves.

With the complex challenges we face today, this is becoming increasingly relevant and important.

In the business context, ethics goes beyond meeting legal and regulatory responsibilities. Placing greater emphasis on core values such as respect, responsibility and compassion could help organisations and their people make more informed and better decisions.

Ethical Reading is a not-for-profit social enterprise.

It is run on a voluntary basis by five directors with support from an Advisory Council, made up of people from a range of local organisations and an amazing team of volunteers.

Together we are working to help organisations in Reading and the surrounding area incorporate ethical values into their DNA, through inspiration, education and collaboration.

We welcome anyone who is interested in what we are doing to join us as a Member, free of charge. We also have a growing network of Partner organisations, whose annual fees are key to enabling our work.

There is a growing understanding in the business world of the importance of balancing ethics and profitability. There is also evidence that companies that take an ethical approach are more profitable, as well as more highly regarded, helping them attract the best talent.

We recognise that our economy depends on businesses making a good profit and paying their taxes to fund vital services such as health, education and care. However we do not believe that it is right to push for profit at the expense of people or the planet.

What we do

Events

We run events to share helpful resources and encourage people to think and talk about key ethical topics. These include dedicated events for the employees of Partner organisations as well as monthly meetups and webinars that are open to all.

Collaborations

Collaboration is one of our core values and we know that we can achieve more by working together with other likeminded organisations.

Programmes

We run programmes focusing on a variety of issues. Our current programmes are:

Business Ethics and Culture

Workplace Wellbeing

Sustainability

Our Partners and Supporters

We are grateful to our current Partners and Supporters for their contributions. Find out more.

Upcoming events

25 May

One year on after George Floyd’s death do Black Lives Matter?

A year after George Floyd's death, what positives and negatives can we take away from…

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We're proud to be working with our Partners and Supporters

Ethical Reading is a new not-for-profit social enterprise. We need your support in order to create online training resources and to continue running inspiring events and raising awareness of ethical issues. Thank you!

Ethical Reading

Covid-19 community action

Ethical Recruitment Charter

Trees for Reading

Services portal

NatWest Group’s goals to tackle climate change

The purpose of business and the social licence to operate