FORA Celebrates Receiving Just. Label!
At FORA, we've been on a journey guided by our commitment to justice, equity, resilience, and community. Beyond guiding our physical design projects, these values are the foundation for how we practice. Yet, as a newer firm striving to make a positive impact, many of our unique policies were created with little to no examples to follow. It has been difficult to know if we are headed in the right direction, doing enough, or addressing all the issues we want to tackle in creating a Just practice. So last year, FORA created a task force to put our unique firm structure to the test by working our way through the Just label program to document, evaluate, and validate or modify our policies. The results?
We're proud to announce that FORA has been recognized by the International Living Future Institute as a Just. organization.
What is a Just. Label?
The Just. label is a transparency label created by the International Living Future Institute to give organizations a framework for evaluating themselves through a social justice and equity lens. According to their website, “Just is a nutrition label for socially just and equitable organizations. As a voluntary disclosure tool for organizations rather than a certification program, it is a transparency platform for organizations to disclose their operations, including how they treat their employees and where they make financial and community investments.”
“Being a Just. organization shows that we value transparency as a means to build trust within and outside our organization.”
FORA visiting our Solaire Apartments site with Client and Contractor partners Eden Housing and L&D Construction
The Journey to Receiving a Just Label
Participating in the Just program provided us with a structured framework to evaluate and enhance our organizational policies and practices. It was an opportunity for reflection and growth. Our firm was designed at its core to support justice, equity, diversity, and inclusiveness, but as a young practice those structures and philosophies hadn’t yet been formalized in a clear way. Walking through the steps of evaluating each indicator helped us clearly document what our positions are. Sharing the resulting policies document with our entire staff elevated for us a sense of pride in our unique practice and reiterated to our team our commitment to leading a just practice.
The application was a collaborative effort at FORA, led by a small group dedicated to gathering data, evaluating policies, and summarizing findings. Like most of what we do at FORA, there were opportunities throughout to bring the whole firm into the process. Through surveys, workshops, and policy reviews, we invited every team member to share their experiences and provide feedback. This inclusive approach not only enriched our understanding of the challenges we face but also strengthened our shared commitment to creating a workplace that truly reflects our values.
“For me, being a Just. organization means that we are ‘walking the walk’ by holding ourselves accountable to the goals and values that we set for our firm. ”
After going through this process, we confirmed that we are focusing on many of the right areas, providing a great level of support and flexibility, tracking tangible goals and commitments, and identifying areas to continue improving as we evolve. For example, as a direct result of addressing the Just indicators, we found our flexible remote structure is one of our greatest benefits, we expanded our volunteer policy to provide more opportunities for all staff, and we are inspired to pursue more formalized ways to document our dedication to providing socially and environmentally positive services.
“Being a JUST. organization committed to ethical business practices means I can trust that my firm cares about and will do right by its employees.”
Here are a few examples of our Just. policies and a video of our team describing how those policies make us unique.
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FORA believes the emotional and psychological well-being of our employees is critical and is committed to fostering a healthy work environment. We believe that the use of effective well-being programs and policies can reduce stress and improve the quality of life for our team. We are committed to creating a work culture that allows employees to feel recognized as multi-dimensional, complex, and evolving individuals. We invest in well-being programs to improve employee health, productivity, recruitment and retention, organizational culture, and employee morale.
We are committed to a comprehensive employee well-being program that incorporates the following components:
• Flexible work arrangements and time off:
• 100% remote work from anywhere with high-speed internet policy
• Set your own schedule (as long as you’re available for team & project meetings)
• 80 hrs/2 wks policy - work 80 hours whenever you’d like within a 2 week window
• Generous paid time off to use however employees see fit
• Flexible “Life Happens” leave (paid and unpaid) and firm-wide mental health days
• Weekly staffed specialty hours for pursuing specialty areas of interest, contributing to personal and professional growth
• Though FORA does not have an in-person office space to offer specific spaces or amenities, the nature of remote work allows for autonomy and choice over one’s environment. Our employees can work from their own homes, or seek spaces that include: room for lactation, prayer/meditation/reflection, and gender neutral bathrooms
• A joyful approach that celebrates our individual humanity and team-bonding that promotes feeling connected and seen, including: share outs, feel good openers, jokes, inclusive design/workshops, etc.
• Planned social/volunteer outings
• Annual retreat with planned social time
• Dedicated Volunteer time for community organizations in the areas we serve
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FORA is committed to pay equity. We recognize the inherent value every team member brings to the table - from our varied backgrounds, experiences, and expertise. We are aware of the trend that relates to income inequality and society’s historical overvaluation of work performed by senior level job classifications and the undervaluation of work performed by employees in junior level job classifications. While FORA recognizes that there are merited differences in employee compensation within and between an organization’s levels of employees, we place an equitable limit on the compensation ratio between the lowest and highest paid employee at 1:1.5. This policy does not preclude the organization from making discretionary payments to any employee based on performance or other merit-based factors.
Our 2024 pay-scale includes the following employee salaries:
Tier 1: $78,000 - Staff
Tier 2: $88,000 - Associate (and Principals)
Tier 3: $98,000 - Senior Associate
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FORA is committed to the hiring, retention, and promotion of a workforce that is representative of the ethnic and racial diversity of the areas where we practice. Our retention and promotion strategies are focused on providing a culture and work environment where all employees have the opportunity to be successful in their careers and to be represented at all levels of the organization.
People are the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our diverse employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation, goodwill, and long-term success. We aim to create a welcoming, supportive, and collaborative environment where full participation is valued and voices from diverse backgrounds and perspectives are heard.
We understand that more diversity means better design, and that improving representation and recognition in architecture won’t happen through passive means. FORA seeks to provide spaces for minority groups to feel comfortable and heard. We are constantly investigating and pursuing initiatives to increase and improve diversity. For example, the FORAship program aims to support underrepresented students with robust, active, and sustained support through a scholarship and year-round internship. All of our practices and policies are built on a premise of racial equity that encourages and enforces:
• Respectful communication and cooperation between all employees.
• Teamwork and employee participation, permitting the representation of all groups and employee perspectives.
• Work/life balance through remote work and flexible schedules to accommodate employees’ varying needs.
• We work to support a greater quality of life and promote a greater understanding and respect for traditionally underserved and historically marginalized populations through our projects.
Next Steps: Continuing to Learn and Improve
Earning the Just label is a milestone for us, but it's not the end of the road. We're committed to continuous improvement and fine-tuning our policies to better serve our team and the broader community.
“Being a Just. organization allows us to self-reflect, recognize areas in need of improvement, celebrate our successes and continue to support the team’s wellbeing”
One of our next goals is to pursue B-Corp certification—a further step in demonstrating our dedication to social and environmental responsibility. We know this journey requires ongoing dialogue, collaboration, and a willingness to learn from others. We're eager to keep growing and evolving.
In Conclusion
Receiving a Just. label is an honor and pushes us to keep doing the hard but important work that lies ahead. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program and for the resources and knowledge other Just. organizations have shared about their journeys. The Just label aligns with our feminist practice lens, pushing us to challenge traditions, amplify marginalized voices, and create places where everyone feels valued and respected. We believe that transparency is the first step. We're committed to listening, learning, and growing together with our team and our community. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!
You can find out more about becoming a Just. organization on the International Living Future Institute website.
“Becoming a Just. organization is a commitment to growth, internal transparency, and respect for all of our team members.”
“Being a JUST organization highlights the company’s values and enables us to continually make efforts toward workplace equality and inclusion.”
“Being a “JUST.” organization means committing to transparency, equity, and social responsibility in all aspects of your operations, striving to create a positive impact on both people and the planet.”
