CohnReznick understands that, to be trusted as an employer of choice and advisor to our clients, we must operate with a higher level of responsibility. We believe that what we do and how we do it not only impacts our key stakeholders, but can affect society as a whole.
As such, we are committed to the continuous adoption, improvement, and reinforcement of programs and policies that can drive positive change – notably in the areas of environmental sustainability, social and economic equity, and trusted corporate governance.
As corporate citizens, we have a responsibility to leverage our skills, our people, and our influence as a positive force in tackling society’s most pressing causes.
Workplace Flexibility
We believe that we bring our best to our work when we holistically invest in our team’s health and well-being, Therefore, CohnReznick promotes a culture of flexibility in where, when, and how our team members work. In moving to a flexible work environment (well before the Covid-19 pandemic), we learned that workplace flexibility can deliver:
- Greater productivity
- Increased employee retention
- A more diverse, inclusive, and collaborative workforce
- Technological innovation that benefits our clients and our firm
We are committed to a flexible work environment because it benefits our clients, advances our technology capabilities, and reduces our overall carbon footprint.
Total Rewards
CohnReznick’s Total Rewards program is focused on three key elements essential to retaining and recruiting the best people in our industry.
- A competitive compensation model
- A comprehensive benefits program designed to sustain an employee’s physical and emotional health
- A package of programs designed to address childcare, parental care, family leave, financial planning and assistance, and other needs critical to an individual’s well-being
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB)
CohnReznick continues to champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all that we do. From the creation of our National Diversity & Inclusion Council to CR Pride and CR BLAC to women-focused professional development programs like Executive Women’s Forum and WomenCan, we understand that, to truly thrive as a firm, we must elevate diversity both inside and outside of our organization.
Several of our more recent developments include:
CEO Diversity Initiative
On behalf of CohnReznick, CEO David Kessler joined more than 1,000 CEOs nationwide in signing the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ – the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
CohnReznick Black Action Council (CR BLAC)
CR BLAC provides sponsorship, mentorship, support, and development activities for the firm’s Black employees. Initiated and led by a firm-wide group of Black staff members, CR BLAC works with the Executive Board and firm leadership to drive fundamental change in how the firm recruits, retains, and develops Black professionals in all practice areas.
Their mission is to foster awareness among individuals in the firm, along with stakeholders in the various industry practices, to enable safer spaces as well as increased development opportunities and representation.
CohnReznick Pride
CohnReznick’s Pride initiative aims to foster a work environment where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) employees can bring their authentic selves to work and feel a sense of belonging through mentoring and sharing information across our offices.
The National Pride Council and local office representatives organize Pride celebrations, community sponsorships, webinars, constructive conversations, and more.
Gender Pronoun Guideline
In 2020, CohnReznick introduced a firm-wide guide to inclusive pronouns and identities to recognize that referring to an individual using their chosen name and pronoun demonstrates respect, acceptance, and inclusion.
With pronoun use embedded throughout our daily interactions, every CohnReznick employee can communicate their preferred gender pronoun through their email signature and in other places as well. Learn more >
Women’s Professional Development Programs
CohnReznick offers two firm-sponsored professional development programs dedicated to women in the workplace. Executive Women’s Forum (EWF) provides a platform for women business executives to connect regularly, share meaningful experiences, and build mutually beneficial relationships through a range of local events and industry-related activities.
WomenCAN: A Collaborative Advocacy Network for Women provides CohnReznick women with access to mentors and a range of professional growth opportunities. Learn more >
Inclusive Events Policy
In 2018, CohnReznick implemented an inclusive events policy to ensure that all events CohnReznick hosts, sponsors, or participates in include (a) at least one woman or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) on each panel or as moderator of the panel, or (b) 25% of the presenting team for events that do not use a panel format.
Our Inclusive Events Policy covers both CohnReznick hosted events (internal and external) and third-party hosted events.
Giving Back
To be a good corporate citizen, we must create opportunities for our communities and their people. This is not just a goal for CohnReznick, it’s a core component of our mission statement. Whether it’s conducting charitable giving programs in our neighborhoods or supporting national charities in fulfilling their missions, CohnReznick actively finds ways to help make a difference.
Sustainability in our Offices
Beginning more than a decade ago, CohnReznick began taking steps to reduce our impact on the environment. Some were smaller steps, while others were much larger.
They included the following:
- Creating a paper-free, electronic document processing system covering most of our tax and audit work, our proposals for new engagements, and the brochures and sell sheets we provide to prospective clients.
- Ensuring that all retired technology equipment is e-wasted via a certified Green Recycler
sustainability - Storing more data on the cloud, which results in smaller server rooms and HVAC systems and a reduction in energy consumption
- Providing electric car charging stations in select offices
- Donating furniture and other items that we no longer need to schools, not-for-profit organizations, and/or recycling them to minimize waste
- Reducing the number of copiers by approximately 50% and the number of printers by approximately 30% when an office relocates
- Only using recyclable products when single-use items are required
- Recycling coffee grounds and K-Cups
- Programming printers to print double sided to minimize paper usage
Real Estate Sustainability
We continue to consolidate our offices where appropriate and centralize our people into larger urban centers that provide them with mass transit options and/or commutability from multiple locations. As examples, we combined three offices in the Hartford-Springfield metro area into one new office in downtown Hartford and consolidated two older New Jersey offices into one new office that is easily accessible using mass transit or personal transportation.
Other real estate-focused initiatives include:
- Seeking LEED certified or Energy Star rated buildings, as well as working with architects and builders to use environmentally friendly and/or recycled products for our interior designs. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.
- Reducing our overall square footage and modifying configurations to create more collaborative, shared spaces. Within the past few years, we have reduced our overall square footage by more than 330,000 and intend to continue to reduce our square footage going forward.
- Requesting that landlords install new restroom fixtures designed to conserve water when flushing and performing hand hygiene
- Developing work space reservation programs to provide team members with flexible workspace to meet the needs of the day and reduce wasted space when employees’ desire to work from home or a client location.
- Using LED lighting fixtures, daylight harvesting sensors, and light control systems to reduce energy consumption
Governance
Providing accountability to our stakeholders is paramount to our operations and our success. To best serve the varied interests of our clients, partners, employees, and external business relationships, CohnReznick maintains a governance culture founded on comprehensive risk management and financial stewardship protocols. Building and retaining trust by protecting the interests of our stakeholders is foundational to our firm and to our strategic initiatives.
Some of the governance practices we have implemented include:
Executive Board
CohnReznick’s 10-member Executive Board, which includes the Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for oversight of the firm’s business and growth strategy as well as firm policy. Our Management Committee oversees the day-to-day operations of the firm by implementing these policies. The board currently has one ex-officio member and Executive Board membership is rotated on an annual basis.
Chief Risk Officer
In 2018, CohnReznick created the role of Chief Risk Officer (CRO) to focus on enterprise risk issues across the Firm. The CRO is responsible for ensuring the CEO and Executive Board are considering new and existing risks to the firm and CohnReznick brand, while assessing ways to mitigate those risks. The CRO also work closely with the firm’s Advisory, Assurance, Tax, and Practice Management leaders to develop best practices, policies, and procedures, and to develop internal training programs to promote risk awareness among partners and staff.
Audit Quality and Transparency
CohnReznick understands the significance of our role in protecting the capital markets and serving our clients. It is therefore critical that we are transparent to these markets, investors, and regulators. Each year, Cohnreznick issues its Audit Quality and Transparency Report which provides information on the firm’s ongoing commitments, efforts, and vision; qualitative and measurable data points about our transparency; how our quality control system is designed to enable us to deliver high-quality services; and an idea as to where our firm is headed. This report aligns with the Center for Audit Quality’s Audit Quality Disclosure Framework and demonstrates our commitment to maintaining a strong system of controls to achieve the highest quality audits. Read the report >
IT Security and Data Privacy
With much of the financial and other data we handle being transmitted electronically, CohnReznick is committed to maintaining the security of all information transmitted to and from the firm. To protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of this information, every employee or contractor must understand their roles and responsibilities related to security and strictly adhere to the firm’s Security Awareness and Training Policy.
The firm’s Information Security Officer (ISO) is responsible for the development and oversight of these policies and standards. The ISO works in conjunction with management, the Information Technology (IT) department and others for development, monitoring and enforcement of these policies and standards.
Some of the security and data privacy standards the firm has put into action include:
- Dual-factor authentication system for access to internal websites and portals
- Migration from physical servers to secure, Cloud-based applications for data access and storage
- Annual mandatory firm-wide IT security training
- Enhanced security features for all mobile devices used by employees for work purposes
- State-of-the-art client portal for managing client projects and transmitting/receiving client financial information
- Off-shore security policy for transmitting and accessing private and confidential information with India office
As CohnReznick grows and evolves, we are committed to becoming a more environmentally and socially responsible organization with a foundation of sound, sensible governance.
We currently have several ambitious new ESG-focused initiatives in development that we will proudly announce in the coming months.
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