Our organisational values will act as a guide for staff and Trustees about how we work at Esmée. They are intended to provide a frame of reference for taking actions and making decisions at every level. In order to live up to these values we know that we will need to make changes to the way we work.
Our values
- Equity
By equity, we mean striving for fair opportunities and outcomes for the people we work with, and endeavouring to understand and respond to their contexts, cultures, and characteristics. We recognise that a diversity of views leads to better decision making.
- Kindness
By kindness, we mean showing empathy and consideration in how we treat people and treat each other. We recognise that people are at the heart of what we do. So, in all our work, we listen carefully to understand what people need and to respect their views.
- Integrity
By integrity, we mean being honest and holding ourselves to the highest standards of behaviour. We are clear and straightforward in our relationships and in our communications, and accountable for our actions and their effect on others. Being accountable includes being transparent about our decisions, our investments and the impact of our work.
- Ambition
By ambition, we mean using the opportunity given to us by our endowment to be bold and proactive, to take risks and ask questions. We encourage independent thinking, we learn and adapt, and we always ask ourselves “what more could we do?”
- Working together
By working together, we mean generous collaboration where all partners’ resources, skills, lived experience and expertise are valued. We recognise that working alone limits what we can achieve, so we pool resources with others wherever possible, and share the risk and responsibility of making change happen.
