In the second instalment of her two-part interview with AMBITION, Gabriella Zepf, Head of CSR at Big Yellow Self Storage, explains how imput-impact assessments can measure the effects of CSR initiatives. Interview by Will Dawes
Do we need to move from focusing on CSR and the bottom line to think strategically, yet altruistically, about CSR?
It depends. When you’re talking about becoming more efficient in terms of the environment, it can absolutely be about the bottom line because efficiency is well understood by most businesses. Why dismiss something that truly delivers benefits all round? Being a profitable business is not a bad thing – it delivers healthy returns for investors and rewarding work to employees.
When it comes to social aspects, it’s better to forget the bottom line. You need to understand the bigger picture, and that might not be translated into pounds and pennies easily. It can be helpful to formulate your social activities along the lines of an ‘input to impact’ model. There are some great examples around, such as the impact pathway of the Santander Cycles scheme in London, as showcased in Santander’s 2017 Sustainability Report.
Is enough is being done to embed the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into business strategy?
I am not (yet) convinced that they should be: they were developed for governments. I think they work for large global entities, such as Unilever, but not for UK-based FTSE 250s. Let me give you an example: if we had an initiative at our head office to recycle food waste and wanted to link this to one of the UN SDGs (‘Zero Hunger’), we would struggle to demonstrate a clear ‘line of sight’ and might actually disengage employees from a worthwhile initiative. The role our local initiative plays would be tiny compared to ending hunger, and linking it to an SDG may feel a
bit whimsical.
What are the best ways to implement CSR strategies that engage employees and stakeholders with how the organisation is making a difference?
You need to understand that to see a benefit you need to be able to engage with people, not just tell them what to do. Asking staff to turn off lights is not particularly engaging. In those instances, it is best to automate. Asking employees is always a good first step – with all feedback, though, it’s worth remembering that you won’t be able to make everyone happy.
Our staff have told us they are very interested in helping people who are less fortunate. Our Big Yellow Foundation was, in part, set up in response to this. We report on the funds raised and the difference we make to our charity partners to show current and prospective employees, communities, customers and investors how we are making a difference.
Regular communication is good, we produce a quarterly newsletter; we have an employee steering committee, and employee champions in the different geographical areas to spread the word.
Hopefully, good-quality and engaging external reporting is demonstrating how we make a difference. I want to tell more stories by creating insightful case studies about all the things we do – it’s on top of my ‘to do’ list.
Why is it becoming more important for leaders and managers to take ethical and responsible approaches to business?
It’s largely around risk management. A company with strong governance is less likely to fall foul of regulatory issues, less likely to be paying fines and generally more likely to deliver strong returns. It makes financial sense to those who are looking for longer-term ROI. The value of a strong employer brand also plays into that. Prospective employees are looking for a company that is ethical and behaves well. There is a benefit to any company that is able to attract and retain the employees it needs.
Responsible leaders also understand that, in a changing world, we have to adapt. A leader who doesn’t adapt, whatever the driving causes, will not be a leader for very long.
We live in a connected, transparent world, so if something is not done right, it appears on social media within seconds; people are willing to point out aspects about other people and companies that they don’t like. There is an argument that consumers are making increasingly more ethical choices. I think that is a little overstated at this point in time, however, it may change in the coming years.
Should organisations be highlighting their CSR credentials?
Absolutely, but transparency is key. Tell people what you’re aiming for and then report transparently, with data, and tell the story. Provide good-quality information and compare year on year. If you’ve achieved something great, why not celebrate – be proud of what you have achieved, but don’t overstate it.
It’s important to know your audience: shareholders will be interested; we do a lot of external benchmarking. Our employees are very interested too – we have internal mechanisms for them to feed back and challenge us, or ask questions. Employees play a big part in keeping it sensible and ethical.
How can CSR’s impact be measured?
When it comes to the environment, it’s not that hard; investment in on-site renewables has an immediate business benefit in terms of grid electricity saved. With other elements, it’s not easy. I have been increasingly working with input-impact assessment to assess whether what we put in and expect to get out is actually delivered and what happens along the way.
It’s important to question regularly why you are doing something and assessing whether it continues to be the right thing to do. In the absence of hard data, I find it useful to ask a group of people – the larger the group, the more statistically relevant. This is one of the reasons why we do customer and employee feedback surveys.
We also indirectly measure the impact of our CSR commitments via our planning application process. We know that our values have contributed, in at least one recent example, to obtaining planning consent due to a specific social element of our new build. This may be slightly unusual, but we do expect to see these sorts of situations more frequently.
Which current trends are the most impactful when it comes to CSR?
Climate change, clearly, but also larger social trends, such as disadvantaged individuals and individuals excluded from mainstream society. Social media and millennials are having an impact too, but I’m not sure their expectations are necessarily that different to anyone else’s.
Are Business Schools rising to the challenge of developing leaders who will make an impact for the better in terms of business and society?
I’d be interested to see if there is a way AMBA could measure Schools on how many of their students go on to work in sustainable roles. Which Business School is producing the most responsible leaders?
Do you feel optimistic about the future of business?
There is a part of me that thinks we are an incredibly resilient and inventive race and we may get ourselves out of quite a few tricky spots. We’re underestimating the sociopolitical impact of climate change in which entire lands could be underwater, and where conflicts for precious natural resources, such as water or arable land, could take place. I fear that there will be some really sad and traumatic events that will lead us to more urgent change and business will have to be part of that solution. I think the problem is bigger than business, but the smart businesses, that want not only to survive but also to thrive, are planning now.
Gabriella Zepf
Gabriella Zepf’s expertise is in project and change management, which she has deployed to deliver projects and initiatives relating to sourcing and supply chain risk and, subsequently, environmental and sustainability programmes.
Her ethos is all about working collaboratively. She believes that a successful business will encourage cross-functional working, where employees are supported to deliver challenging projects together. In past roles, she has built a number of successful teams from scratch.
Zepf has been working within fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail organisations in a variety of roles for the past 15 years. This has given her a unique insight into how organisations work and how decisions are made.
At Diageo and Orange/Everything Everywhere (EE), her roles fell within procurement and supply-chain functions; for Orange, her work also involved engaging buying teams to adopt supply chain risk policies and procedures. During her time at Orange, she also project managed a global procurement transformation programme.
She has been working as Head of CSR for Big Yellow Self Storage since 2017, and is responsible for its work in relation to the environment and the running of the Big Yellow Foundation.
