Since becoming a B Corp in August of this year, we’ve been more intentional about the profile of our client work, meaning our team only works on client accounts that we are ethically aligned with. We feel really good about this intentionality, and love the fact being a B Corp helps signal that for us.
Using our certification and understanding of B Corp greatly helps when it comes to being structured, intentional, and serious about giving back by doing pro bono work and work for good. This has evolved from a fairly unstructured and scattergun approach at Nature to a more systematic, significant one. This is important from a cultural point of view, so all parties are on the same page as to what we are doing, who we are supporting and how we are supporting them.
One of the real advantages of being a B Corp is that it creates a heightened level of purpose and meaning that we can all rally around. Nature has always had a really strong and coherent culture, but over our B Corp journey it has only become stronger, by virtue of the fact it drives us to be even more people-focussed than ever before.
By being inclusive and allowing the whole team into the process of certification, B Corp’s process garners excitement and enfranchisement, as well as positive team morale given the knowledge we are rallying around is more than just commercial success. This doesn’t just apply to our team but extends to our clients and of course the community in which we operate.
It also means we have an elevated sense of mandate to create the very best cultural environment possible to enhance the experience of our team. This means being intentional about growing psychological safety, and creating permissibility for all be included, have a voice, feel seen, and have the active capacity to influence.
At Nature, this ranges from outreach work we each do in the community (St Kilda Mums for example) through to pro bono work for a range of ethically aligned organisations. Our team also get actively involved in cause-related efforts to help organisations that are doing good – examples being the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, Fitted for Work, and of course Movember.
Any company embarking on this process will need to work out their own journey, their way of giving back, and their way of helping the community. Ours is just one. There are so many great organisations doing good in Australia; all companies trying to make a different really need to work out what resonates with them, their people, and their values. The effort will pay dividends.
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