We don't just pay lip service.
We build our culture around our shared belief that when you get to work, you shouldn't have to check your values at the door.
If we were asked to define “what” we do, we’d say Realize is an organizational design and innovation firm. However, we believe that “how” we go about doing our work and achieving our goals is equally — if not even more — important to define. Our corporate values guide our organization’s direction as well as acting as touchpoints we use to measure and develop the means we use to accomplish our aspirations. But most importantly, our values define who we we are as a team.
Our Core Values
EMPATHETIC.
We place the “human factor” at the centre of everything we do.
Trusted.
We cultivate trust within our team, with our clients, and with our partners.
Empowered.
We empower and inspire each other to be passionate, creative, and entrepreneurial.
Agile.
We recognize new and emerging needs and help clients navigate change and complexity.
Engaged.
We are constantly learning, listening to our clients, and invested in growing with our community.
Check out our living Talent, Culture, and Performance Strategy and our newest 2020-21 Impact Report to learn more about our team values, how we put people first and use business as a force for good, reinvest in and engage with local communities, and also how we’re holding ourselves accountable to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
How we make a difference
We believe in walking the talk when it comes to our commitment to social impact. We ensure we’re living up to our commitments by using independent third-party organizations to certify our business and environmental practices.
Certified B Corporation
Becoming a certified B Corporation involves a rigorous process where businesses are evaluated on their overall practices and their commitment to meet “the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.” Since becoming certified in 2015, Realize has consecutively won global recognition in the following categories: Best for Overall (2015-2019; category now discontinued), Best for Workers (2016-2022), and Best for Governance (2017-2022). To learn more, access our most recent news and impact report.
Certified Living Wage Employer
The Living Wage Employer certification recognizes organizations who pay all direct and contract staff the living wage rate for the region. What does this mean? Well, a “living wage” is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses. In fact, we have a longstanding internal policy that the ratio of compensation between our most senior and junior team member will never exceed 3.5 :1 . Did you know the global average pay ratio between the highest and lowest paid member is 144 : 1? We take great satisfaction in doing everything we can to ensure our team members have fair and competitive salaries and benefits, creating ripples in all directions. Learn more about what being a Living Wage Employer means to us.
Certified Climate Smart
To cut both costs and carbon emissions, we’ve been certified by Climate Smart. This means that every year, we complete a Greenhouse Gas Inventory and submit it to Climate Smart along with our GHG Reduction Plan. This keeps us on our toes, and ensures we’re always thinking about our environmental footprint, dreaming about buying a Tesla, and pushing for new ways to improve.
Carbon Offsetting
We’ve partnered with Taking Root to offset all of our GHG emissions. Taking Root is a Canadian NGO that is on a mission to grow trees to benefit people and the planet. We chose Taking Root because by focusing on people, they’ve identified that one of the root causes of deforestation is people’s pursuit of economic opportunities. Based on this insight, Taking Root have designed reforestation initiatives that provide economic opportunities for people, addressing deforestation and poverty simultaneously. Pretty inspirational stuff if you ask us!
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call to action, providing a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, for the present and the future. We’re focusing our efforts on the following four SDGs: Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Partnerships for the Goals. We identified these as the areas where we have the most expertise and can create the most meaningful impact.
Social Purchasing
We literally put our money where our mouth is by purchasing from social enterprises and local suppliers who align as closely as possible with our values. We’ll choose them even if their prices are slightly higher, so the costs aren’t suffered by a third party. We’re so passionate about making procurement more than just a financial transaction that we’re a proud shareholder of Buy Social Canada!
Check out our list of local purpose-driven suppliers we’ve identified and been inspired by!
Roots in the Co-operative Model
We were founded as a co-operative owned by non-profits, co-operatives and social enterprises. Through our unique structure, we’ve been able to deeply connect to the clients we serve and to the values that are important to them. You don’t need to be a member to use our services — but if you want to learn more about our membership program, or if you just want to have a passionate conversation with someone who understands the versatility of the co-operative structure, click here or reach out via phone or email.
