How B Corporations are supporting their teams through lockdown
It's been a tricky year for all of us, whether you run a business or work for one, staying connected has been a challenge. In honour of B Corp month we're showcasing what some of the B Corps and pending B Corps in our community are doing to support their teams.
March is B Corp month. For anyone wondering what a B Corp is, B Corp is to business what Fairtrade certification is to chocolate. Certified B Corporations do business in a particular way. Rather than operating purely to generate profit, they prioritise working for environmental and social good.
Together, as a community of like-minded businesses, B Corps are driving the movement towards a new kind of economy that is better for communities, the environment and for workers.
In order to become a B Corp, businesses have to take part in an assessment and must meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency in order to certify. Each company’s Impact Report can be viewed online so that individuals can see where the companies they buy from, work with or work for, sit on the scale.
It’s a rapidly growing movement: in 2007 the first 19 B Corps were certified, and there are now over 3,500 Certified B Corporations across more than 70 countries. Some of the bigger brands you may recognise include Etsy, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and Kickstarter.
When an organisation signs up to be a B Corporation, they have to commit to a pledge to support their people on a par with the planet and any focus on profit. It’s something that separates B Corporations from a lot of other organisations, they’re measured not only on how well they pay people but also on the policies and support systems they have in place for their teams. These are verified and spot-checked by the B Lab team as part of the accreditation process, and organisations have to recertify every 3 years.
The past year has been a challenging one to run a business and manage a team. With drastic changes to working practices, remote working as a new norm, a volatile economy and a lot of strain on employers and employees, it’s definitely been a tough one. But B Corps haven’t dropped their guard or failed on their commitment to support their teams. They’ve risen to the challenges we've all faced and worked hard to continue their commitment to do their best for the people who make them.
Here we celebrate some of the inspiring and creative ways that some of the certified B Corps and pending B Corps from this year’s Escape 100 list have supported their teams through a difficult time. We hope that these stories can inspire you and give ideas for connecting with your colleagues or teams as we navigate the world of lockdown and remote working.
The Unreasonable group are an Investment Fund & Accelerator aimed to support Entrepreneurs in solving Big F****** Problems. Unreasonable’s audacious approach to solving what they call BFPs is to support growth-stage entrepreneurs working on solutions to our greatest challenges.
How they supported their team
Recognising the toll on their team with very little separation from work and life in 2020, Unreasonable implemented two new practices to try to give the team both the dedicated time and space to focus excel but also to rest and recharge: Deep Work Wednesdays (inspired by Spill) and Thrive Fridays (inspired by Thrive Global). They issued a Wellness bonus to support teammates in taking care of their personal health and wellness throughout a challenging year, as well as an additional stipend to improve each home office conditions. Finally, at their year-end (virtual) retreat they gave all employees an additional cash gift to treat themselves and their households (roommates, families, loved ones) to a meal on Unreasonable.
Yoyo is a B-Corp certified digital design agency, strategising, designing and delivering a range of digital experiences to engage customers across industries. All of the reviews they received in the Escape 100 campaign this year rave about what a brilliant community, caring culture and supportive team they are a part of.
How they supported their team
Yoyo introduced flexibility with a 4-day working week, offered greater mental health initiatives including access to a trained counsellor and training and development opportunities. And despite the challenging circumstances, they took on interns.
Not content with just supporting their team, they also focused on the environment and their local community by achieving carbon neutrality and supporting their local community by litter picking and donating to a food bank.
Work.Life is a UK-based, people-focused workspace provider bringing joyful workplaces and community to freelancers, entrepreneurs and ambitious businesses.
How they supported their team
Whilst they already have amazing benefits and a partnership with Self Space to support their employee’s wellbeing, lockdown and working from home was uncovering challenges they hadn't faced on this scale before, such as burn out, setting boundaries, and stress.
They put together a two-week wellbeing programme for the team where they delivered workshops around stress management, nutrition, digital detox, mental maintenance for trying times and some fun virtual baking/cooking evenings led by the team.
Most recently, they made some small changes to the working week, to provide people with some boundaries. They’re running 'Feeling good February' initiatives such as 30 minutes 'sacred time', every day at 1 pm, where no one emails, Slacks or calls another team member. Every Friday from 2 pm onwards there are no meetings, in the hope that the team can catch up and complete any work, so they don't work into their weekend.
Finally, they’re encouraging the team to take holiday days - just because you can't do anything other than walk and get a coffee, it doesn't mean you don't need a break! Time off from work is so important to continue to be creative, productive and dedicated to the mission.
Big Society Capital exists to improve the lives of people in the UK through investment with a sustainable return. Working to build a thriving investment ecosystem, connecting capital with social enterprises, charities and social purpose organisations.
How they supported their team
As well as offering flexibility in working patterns, they ensured as much mental health support as possible to help their staff through uncertain times. They trained more staff as mental health first aiders, implemented a new online mental health platform that all staff are encouraged to use and have been regularly checking in on staff wellbeing through dedicated mental health pulse surveys.
They’ve also tried to ensure the team has a proper break to recharge. They introduced some half “switch off” days so people could have a break from technology, and have internal and external speakers to lead sessions on topics like balance, gratitude, and yoga via Zoom.
Beam is on a mission to make meaningful work possible for those who have been affected by homelessness. They do this by disrupting the traditional model of homeless support, allowing someone who wants to get back on their feet to crowdfund funds from the wider community in order to embark on training for a new career path.
How they supported their team
Beam understand that working (and joining!) a company remotely can be awkward at the best of times, and isolating at the worst. That’s why since running a fully remote service, they host monthly online socials where the team can catch up. Whether it be candle-making or escape rooms - they make sure that we have time to connect with each other and relax as a team.
However, they also appreciate that there can be some blurring between the professional and the personal when it comes to working from home. This is why they’ve introduced ‘You Time’, where one Friday each month, they log off at 1 pm and spend the afternoon doing something that makes them truly happy. This could be pottery, cycling or painting - whatever helps one to switch off.
WiredScore is making the world’s buildings better connected, enabling a more collaborative, innovative and dynamic future. They’ve established themselves as the badge-of-honour for digital connectivity in the world of Real Estate.
How they supported their team
Step one meant ensuring everyone had all the tools they needed to work effectively fully remotely, including speedily reviewing new systems (including fun ones like Donut to keep the team connected to each other), implementing a dedicated home office budget and changing a lot of their working practices.
They’ve also focused on keeping the social side of the office up, like their Christmas party, with 6 different virtual activities, from a guided painting class to a virtual cooking class.
Toast is on a mission to tackle food waste with an innovative method, by using bread that would otherwise be sent to landfill, in order to brew their unique beer.
How they supported their team
They’ve set up daily company check-ins to make sure they’re all fully aligned from a business perspective and able to react quickly to change (here we go again lockdown 3!) whilst looking out for each other from a personal perspective (e.g. allowing for flex working around homeschooling).
----
As we all adapt and move forward into whatever comes next, we hope that some of these stories will inspire you to be creative and collaborative in how you support your colleagues in the months and years to come. Here's to more businesses thinking more like B Corps!