Striving for a better world is the name of the game and there are many benefits for businesses that are willing to take the lead in making a difference socially says Kevin Watson
Regardless of the letter you assign to each generation, the world is getting smaller. It’s no longer enough to be a forward thinking, profitable company with a nice brand to boot. People expect more and the younger generations are making a conscious decision about what companies they want to work for. Pride plays a big part in where people choose to work today, the desire to feel proud to be associated with a brand that has strong social principles is becoming ever more relevant. Gone are the days when candidates were scrutinised in a one-sided interview process, now the tables have turned and companies are in the firing line from a new wave of ethically-driven recruits.
How does your corporate social responsibility (CSR) stack up? What are you doing as a business to give something back to society and make a difference for the longer term? What does your sustainability policy look like? How do you manage diversity and inclusion? How do you support local charities? These are just some of the probing questions that businesses have come to expect from their emerging workforce.
There is also an increasing desire for strong, valued business cultures with a people-centred approach. But in a world where trust is low and workplace culture is in constant decline, the onus is on businesses to up their game and their ethical mind set to take the right steps towards creating that ‘pride and envy’ dynamic to become the company everyone wants to work for.
You can’t take money to the grave
Striving for a better world is the name of the game today and there are many benefits to be had for businesses that are willing to take the lead in getting more involved in making a difference socially. Many have lived by the old saying ‘you can’t take money to the grave’ and this is a great way to look at it. Make the most of what you have now, give back, get involved with local charities where funds allow and in return, be prepared to get back what you put in.
Good will resonates on a human level too; customers are more loyal and ‘sticky’ with businesses that are accountable for their actions in a wider context. You become more admirable and attractive as a business proposition and as an employer. That in turn breeds loyalty, trust and respect, which impacts retention and inevitably reduces HR and recruitment costs. People also become your own ambassadors because giving back is self-perpetuating; people want to talk about it.
Even in new business, if you match a competitor on price and experience and the prospect is looking for a differentiator to make their decision, they are more likely to choose to work with the company that has the best policies and credentials in CSR.
Don’t use CSR to push your own agenda
That said, developing your CSR strategy or environmental credentials shouldn’t be about overtly pushing your own agenda. It’s shouldn’t be used as a direct sales tactic either, because true CSR is embedded into your culture and your ethos as a business – it’s never a quick fix to earn some ‘brownie points’; you’d be amazed how quickly others will see through that kind of ulterior motive.
Making a difference and giving back is something that is important for society as a whole, it’s also important for the lifecycle of your future business, so it has to be reinforced in the right way and nurtured from the outset. For example, if your company operates a zero to landfill policy then that should be the standard that everyone within the business is trying to reach. Success then comes down to education and providing clarity on what it is you are trying to achieve as a business, so that everyone is on the same page.
Adapting your approach to recruitment can be really valuable too, both from a CSR perspective and from a business perspective. Businesses need good people and they come in many shapes and forms. We just need to open our doors to new avenues and welcome greater diversity into the workforce as this can really help to enrich our workplace and business potential. It does mean looking in new, less traditional places, opening yourself up to new ideas and giving people from all backgrounds a chance to start again, reinvent the wheel or make their own difference in society.
Enriching the workplace
From helping ex-offenders re-join the workplace or ex-servicemen looking to cross that void from military to civility, as well as helping part-time parents get back to work and supporting apprentices through the business, there are many ways to give something back. Inviting greater diversity into your teams will also create a richer learning environment and more varied platform to share knowledge, which helps to reduce recruitment and induction costs and means you can continue to build loyalty by investing that budget back into your own people via continual learning and development.
But taking ownership of your business impact has to come from the top down. As a leader you need to fly the flag for sustainability, for equal opportunities, for CSR and anything else that identifies and addresses the impact your business has on the world around it. You cannot expect your people to engage in a campaign and embrace its objectives if you aren’t clear from the outset about why you are doing this, why it’s important and how it contributes from a wider context.
As people are becoming more and more familiar with the importance of the social impact businesses have, they will usually be willing to support their employers because it means they too are part of the bigger picture and supporting the overall goal and cause. Much of this comes back to being ‘human’, showing care and consideration for others and fuelling the message that people matter to businesses – in fact they are the single most important element.
What Amadeus is doing to give back
Amadeus operates a number of policies aimed at making a difference to society. It has a zero to landfill policy but this is nothing new for the company, in fact it banned the use of plastic straws over a decade ago (way before many of the high street brands that are only just adapting today). Amadeus uses biodegradable and compostable materials and has done since 2012 as a group (the company is part of The NEC Group).
In terms of recruitment and people, Amadeus supports a number of local charities, operates ongoing campaigns to support the homeless, whether that is related to providing feeding or providing new opportunities for ‘back to work’ support. The company is also helping ex-offenders re-join the workplace as well as ex-servicemen looking to enter the corporate world after life in the military forces. In addition, the company works with several universities on work placements and post-degree support as well as helping parents get back to work post children. Amadeus has supported more than 100 apprentices through its business too.
As Managing Director at Amadeus, Kevin Watson has led an ambitious growth strategy since taking on the directorship in 2012. Since then, he has succeeded in doubling the turnover and tripling profits for the award-winning venue and event caterer.
