A new online rating tool can help organisations demonstrate their ethical awareness and social responsib- ility to potential employees. Developed by Anglo-Danish company Actics, it allows organisations to choose their corporate values and state how they live by them.

What gives the rating depth and meaning is that stakeholders such as employees and clients can go online to rate how well they think the organisation's real-life actions and behaviour live up to its claims.

Nicolai Peitersen, an economist who worked in banking before founding Actics, told Recruiter that the tool is already being integrated into job portals by two Danish recruitment agencies and expects similar interest from the UK market. "A recruitment company could suggest that a client establishes an ethical profile when they post a job with them," he said. "One of the trends we're seeing is that people are not only motivated by money but also values. A sense of purpose and meaning is important today and we believe our service will be picked up by these people."

The Actics software can be integrated with an organisation's own website, intranet or extranet, depending on who it wants to involve. Peitersen said that initially many people start applying it internally before inviting external stakeholders to provide feedback.

A number of companies in Denmark are using the tool, including Crossroads Copenhagen, a network of research and private and public organisations that builds links between companies and universities.

Managing director Pouline Middleton told Recruiter that it is necessary for companies to be "more concrete" about their values, and Actics allows them to do this. Middleton is confident that the rating will enable Crossroads to attract the right kind of talent and believes it helps to communicate with and relate to each potential employee.

Actics is also aimed at individuals who want to demonstrate their values and Peitersen believes having an ethical rating offers jobseekers a powerful attraction tool.

www.actics.com