How we measure progressive companies
Our approach to measuring what matters in 2022.
When it comes to work, people want different: That much is clear.
But with an ever-increasing range of industries, job roles, and workplaces, what does different actually mean?
When we began The Escape 100 campaign this is what we set out to answer.
Our “Impact” criterion refers to the scale of the organisation’s work.
Our “Impact” measure is the foundation of our judging criteria. Not only does it denote how far-reaching the organisation’s work is in the world, but it also affects both the “Mission” and “Planet” criteria.
An organisation’s mission is multiplied if its impact is far-reaching. Similarly, an organisation’s environmental footprint is multiplied by its scale. In this way, the impact criteria has an important bearing on our calculation.
Each ORGANISATION’S MISSION & ENVIRONMENTAL SCORES ARE MULTIPLIED BY ITS IMPACT.
IMPACT SCALE
Use the slider to explore our "Impact" scale.
This criterion measures the extent to which an organistion has a positive impact on the planet.
The world needs organisations not only to be more conscious but to find solutions to the challenges we face.
We are living through a climate emergency. From the Paris Climate Agreement, to Extinction Rebellion and school strikes, to the resurgence of renewable energy and ‘green politics’, environmental concerns are now unavoidable.
We believe all businesses, no matter how big or small, need to commit to having a positive impact on our planet.
We looked at the environmental policies and systems in place for each organisation. Taking into account recycling programmes, energy sources, and if their products improved or harmed the environment, when calculating the score.
THE ENVIRONMENT SCALE
Use the slider to explore our "Environment" scale
Our "Mission" criterion refers to the aims and ambitions of an organisation. Fundamentally, what is their raison d'être?
Some are simply driven by selling products to make money, others are charities that exist primarily to address a social or environmental need.
And many fall somewhere in-between, focusing both on the products and services they provide, and on tackling wider societal and environmental issues.
ALL ORGANISATIONS SOLVE A PROBLEM - HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH ISSUES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT?
We used the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Framework of 17 key issues which most urgently need to be addressed for a socially and environmentally sustainable world.
Along with these, we identified a number of other important issues that sit outside of the SDG framework and put all of these together on a scale. We also looked at the measurement of progress towards their mission to calculate their score.
MISSION SCALE
Use the slider to explore our "Mission" scale.
This criterion measures the holistic quality of an organisation as a place to work as rated by their employees and by their policies.
You can have the most heartfelt mission, a world-beating strategy but creating an engaging workplace is an entirely different matter.
Employees need organisations to set them up for success. We set about answering this question in two ways. We analysed the policies in place at any given organisation, how inclusive are they? How do they approach training & development? We considered each of these questions and more.
We also decided to ask the employees themselves...
"To what extent do you recommend this organisation as a place to work?"
Employees at participating organisations were given an anonymous link and asked to rate their organisation as a place to work on a scale of 1 - 10.
Organisations were judged not only on their average score but also by how many of their employees participated.
THE PEOPLE SCALES
This criterion measures how unique the core concept is.
The world needs organisations to do things differently.
Innovation is more than just a quirk of originality though - it inspires the world and sparks progress by providing creative solutions to pervasive problems.
There is an element of real excitement about working somewhere which throws a spanner in the machine and builds a truly unique solution from scratch.
This criterion celebrates the different, the unique, and the damn-right whacky concepts that inspire us.
ALL ORGANISATIONS SOLVE A PROBLEM - HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH ISSUES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT?
We used the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Framework of 17 key issues which most urgently need to be addressed for a socially and environmentally sustainable world.
Along with these, we identified a number of other important issues that sit outside of the SDG framework and put all of these together on a scale. We also looked at the measurement of progress towards their mission to calculate their score.
THE INNOVATION SCALE
Use the slider to explore our "Innovation" scale.
The ultimate seal of approval for a modern business.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B-Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good.
Think of it as an ethical badge of honour.
The B-Corp certification process sets the highest standards for 21st Century Businesses.
THE B-CORP SCALE
Use the slider to explore the B-Corp scale.
QUANTIFYING PURPOSE
Each organisation that took part in the Escape 100 campaign was judged against our 6 criteria. Each criterion has its own scale and corresponding score.
Combining these scores gives an organisation an “Escape Score” which is out of 200.
Not all criteria carry the same weight. We have weighted the criteria relative to their importance. Over time these weightings have the potential to change
THE ESCAPE SCORE
0 50
Points
0 35
Points
0 85
Points
0 25
Points
0 5
Points
/200
Points