Doubling Down on Justice in the Workplace

“As we explored its core principles, it became clear that its focus on employee experience, health, well-being and meaningful community connections closely aligned with who we are and what we value as a firm. We were especially drawn to the way Just encourages organizations to take a thoughtful and intentional look at themselves while providing a clear path toward more equitable outcomes through action and accountability.” – PCA, introduced to the JUST program by Director of Sustainability DiAnn Tufts, an active member of Living Future. 

“When ILFI launched JUST in 2015, it immediately caught our attention because of how it was framed: not as a certification that asks organizations to make declarations, but as a tool that promotes disclosure, transparency, and accountability. In 2016, Bruner/Cott became the first company in New England to earn the JUST label, a milestone achievement we remain incredibly proud of. We came to JUST through our work in regenerative design and our long relationship with the International Living Future Institute and the Living Building Challenge. For us, JUST isn’t simply a framework or an internal accountability metric. It’s a structured way to examine how our organizational practices – pay equity, benefits, leadership composition, and community investment – align with our core values. It was also a natural fit for us, as a firm. We were already pursuing clients and projects rooted in regenerative design and Living Building Challenge principles, so adopting JUST felt like an extension of work we were already doing.” – Bruner/Cott Architects

“We have identified six core values that encapsulate our mission and vision. These values are integral to our strategic plan and guide our operations. Social Equity is a key element of the “triple bottom line” of sustainability and is foundational to our work. We’ve been a B Corp since 2011, so when the Just program came along, it was the natural next step for our organization. The specific focus of Just gave us a chance to look more closely at social equity and what it means for us. We first certified in 2019 and have recertified under v2 and again under v3. In general, Just aligns well with B Corp certification. We’re a diverse, employee-owned organization, but we don’t fit easily into the MBE/WBE framework. The Just label gives us a better way to demonstrate what our organization values.” – The Green Engineer

“We chose the Just program as a way to formalize how we approach transparency and accountability within our operations. It provides a clear, measurable framework to evaluate how we support our people, engage with our communities and strengthen our internal culture. 

What has kept us engaged is the level of accountability the program brings. It challenges us to continuously measure and improve on the factors that matter most, from employee wellbeing to community impact, while aligning with our broader commitment to holistic sustainability and the goals of clients pursuing Living Building Challenge projects.” – Consigli

“We were eager to engage with ILFI and Regenerative Design from their founding. The  ILFI leadership in elevating the green building effort was both opportune and profound- to actually discuss a framework for regenerative projects and communities.   We got involved in the JUST program as part of supporting the ILFI’s efforts to broaden the availability of sustainability planning and address the clear lack of understanding about Social Justice in the Environmental Movement and design/construction industry.” – Next Phase Studios

For many organizations, the greatest impact has been internal. The framework has prompted new conversations, strengthened workplace culture, formalized long-held values, and provided practical tools for continuous improvement.

“While many indicators have influenced our growth, Inclusion has been especially impactful. The Just process reinforced the importance of creating a culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging and has the opportunity to be heard, valued and supported. Through weekly all-staff meetings, open dialogue and a focus on employee mentorship, we have strengthened communication and transparency while creating more opportunities for employees to contribute to the ongoing evolution of our firm.

The process also prompted important conversations around equity and access. We recognized that our industry is not equally accessible to everyone, encouraging us to think more intentionally about how we create pathways for participation and opportunity. As part of this commitment, we have established affinity groups within our office culture that focus on engagement, inclusion and operationalizing our DEI commitments through our work. These groups help foster connection across the firm while ensuring we continue to listen, learn and create opportunities for all PCA employees and others with the same goals. More than anything, Just has reinforced the importance of maintaining an environment where people feel empowered to share their perspectives, contribute their ideas and grow both personally and professionally.” – PCA

“Pay equity and employee benefits.The application process required a structured analysis of our compensation scale, which allowed us to verify pay equity consistently across all pay levels and adjust where the data showed gaps. Each renewal builds on that, establishing a repeatable process for reviewing and verifying compensation data annually. On the benefits side, healthcare costs and plan options continue to evolve and shift rapidly from year to year. The Just framework requires us to measure our benefits against a defined standard rather than against last year’s plan, which keeps the conversation focused on what employees actually receive. For architecture firms, committing to providing equitable benefits isn’t optional—it’s how the profession invests in and retains people. Just gives us a structure to hold ourselves to that standard as conditions change.” – Bruner/Cott Architects

“By far, the greatest impact of our Just label is the internal effect on our organization. Our team has embraced the Just label, and that shared sense of purpose makes The Green Engineer is a place where people are excited to show up and do meaningful work. In recertifying under Just 3.0, we updated our policies and formally documented our commitment to social justice, equity, and employee engagement. We also used the enhanced framework to implement our JEDI initiatives more effectively. The updated framework provided clear metrics and actionable guidance, helping us improve equity across our workplace policies, decision-making processes, and client-facing interactions.” – The Green Engineer

“One of the most impactful changes came from tracking volunteer hours. Through the Just process, we identified an opportunity to do more and expanded our policy to provide 24 hours of paid volunteer time annually for each employee. This has strengthened our culture and reinforced our commitment to giving back.” – Consigli

“One of the more challenging aspects of the Just process was the level of transparency it requires. Organizations are asked to collect, analyze, document and share information that is not always widely communicated, creating a level of openness and accountability that can feel uncomfortable at times. The process is also a significant undertaking. Gathering, organizing and maintaining the data required to support each indicator takes considerable time and sustained effort across the organization. This responsibility can be particularly demanding for leadership team members who serve as stewards of specific indicators, balancing these internal commitments alongside their project, client and business responsibilities.” – PCA

“Formalizing what had been informal. Prior to earning our JUST label, Bruner/Cott’s culture had never been policy-driven. We had long relied on organic processes and relationships. Over time, our employee handbook hadn’t kept pace with our actual practices. JUST provided a new opportunity to think critically about what we were already doing and put it into writing. Things like living wage, gender equity, local sourcing, and volunteering weren’t new values for us, but hadn’t been formally documented as commitments that guide firm decisions and behaviors. That formalization process connected directly to what drew us to JUST in the first place: the program asks for disclosure and accountability, not declarations. It’s easy to say your firm values equity. It’s harder and more meaningful to measure, document, and make it visible. Gathering and disclosing sensitive operational data, including compensation, also took real internal work and a lot of trust.” – Bruner/Cott Architects

“One of the more challenging areas has been tracking and improving certain workforce-related metrics that are influenced by broader industry trends. While these factors can be complex, the process has reinforced our commitment to continuous improvement and identifying opportunities to make meaningful progress over time.” – Consigli

“With under 10 employees and one third part time by choice, the impacts of individual choices and accommodations on the overall presentation of data was difficult. We have part time employees, some with 20+ years of service who work schedules that are best for them, but perform all the work needed. And it is essential work. They have prorated, or better benefits and appreciate the arrangement. This has been going on long before wfh and Covid. It has become increasingly hard in the JUST data for these folks not to be seen as us taking advantage of them and not offering fulltime employment. There were several “categories” where Part Time employees work against the calculation or requirement. I really think that it felt like it was not able to capture how we were performing at all accurately.” – Next Phase Studios

“The Just process highlighted how important it is to move beyond good intentions and create systems of accountability. Through the renewal process, we recognized the need to decentralize ownership by assigning Thought Leaders to specific indicators throughout the leadership team. This shift helped embed Just principles more deeply throughout the organization, created greater accountability for progress and change and brought new perspectives and fresh thinking to the table, strengthening our ability to evolve as an organization.” – PCA

“The most surprising thing the JUST label surfaced for us was the gap between practice and policy. We assumed that because we operated fairly, we were covered. The application process revealed how much of what we did well existed nowhere on paper and identified a few areas where we weren’t performing as well as we believed. In 2016, our first label showed a worker happiness score at Level 1. By focusing on communication, project work, and design dialogue, we moved it to Level 3. We wouldn’t have known to work on it if we hadn’t measured it.” – Bruner/Cott Architects

“The Just label process brought greater visibility into areas where we could strengthen consistency across our organization. Having that level of transparency allowed us to take a closer look at our practices and continue making improvements over time.

Clients and partners who are familiar with the Just label recognize it as a meaningful demonstration of our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement. It supports conversations around shared values and long-term project goals.” – Consigli

“As always, actual metrics are profoundly helpful in understanding, reflecting, and changing behaviors. I think things we took for granted we did well, we saw opportunities for improvement. This could be at any scale from supply and waste procurement, to benefits, to transparency in operations.”  – Next Phase Studios

“Be prepared to do the work. Just is more than a label. It is a framework that requires organizations to examine themselves honestly and commit to meaningful change. Before pursuing a label, take the time to understand whether you have the resources, leadership support and willingness to address difficult issues. The process will reveal opportunities for growth and challenge organizations to evolve in ways that better support employees and stakeholders.” – PCA

“Don’t wait until your scores look good! The JUST label is a baseline, not a report card. Its value lies in the honesty of acknowledging where you actually are, mapping what a path forward could look like, and identifying specific areas of improvement you might not have otherwise addressed. Some organizations may be hesitant to publish less-than-stellar scores, but in our experience, that disclosure is what makes improvement real and meaningful. The program itself is straightforward to learn. The harder part is accepting that there’s work to do, and that incremental, honest, measurable progress is the whole point.” – Bruner/Cott Architects

“Go sign up and do it. What are you waiting for?” – The Green Engineer

“Focus on transparency rather than achieving a perfect score. The value of the Just program is in understanding where you are today and using that insight to drive meaningful, continuous improvement.” – Consigli

“A socially just world is one where people feel heard, valued and empowered to contribute purposefully regardless of their background or experience. It is a world where people feel safe, secure and supported across all aspects of their identities and experiences and are empowered to live their best lives among their families, friends and communities. It is also a world where organizations and companies take responsibility for their impact on employees, communities and the people they serve, and where strong socially responsible policies create measurable outcomes rather than aspirational goals. Meaningful change happens when organizations establish accountability, regularly evaluate their performance and make adjustments that improve transparency, opportunity, well-being and trust.

Recognizing this, we also believe there is an opportunity for Living Future to further elevate the visibility of the Just label across local, national and global business communities. Greater adoption by corporations, institutions and public organizations could significantly expand its impact and help bring these principles to more people and communities around the world.” – PCA

“Good looks like workplaces where compensation, benefits, and opportunity are abundant for everyone who joins the firm — where how well you negotiate isn’t a factor, and where that’s verifiable, not just asserted. Our profession shapes communities through the built environment. We should be able to demonstrate that we run our own organizations the way we’d want the places we design to function. That alignment between what we build and how we operate matters. JUST helps by making disclosure normal. When enough organizations publish their actual practices, transparency stops being a differentiator and becomes the expectation — and that’s the point at which the industry evolves. How do we leave our profession better than when we entered it? JUST is one way to answer that.” – Bruner/Cott Architects

“A difficult question without easy answers. I can see many examples showing that we do not currently live in a socially just world. By itself, any rating system is not going to change the world. The best we can do as individuals is to try to live a moral life. Tools like Just help create a community to support each other in that effort.” – The Green Engineer

“A stronger industry is one where baseline benefits and protections, such as fair wages and access to supportive workplace policies, are more consistent across the workforce. Programs like Just help move the industry in that direction by encouraging transparency and shared standards.” – Consigli

“I think that Environmental and Social Justice are directly linked. Much beyond a project level, it is pretty discouraging out there. I think the Just program and the efforts it represents will continue the dialogue on this interconnection regardless of the distractions.”  – Next Phase Studios