Feature
D
uring the summer of 2019, we were
able to offer a position to a Sussex
University Business School Intern. During
the two months the intern was with us,
we had philosophical discussions about
what business is for. The course he was
on taught him that businesses were there
to build value for shareholders. This was
a view expounded by the 60’s economist
Milton Friedman. For me, I had a different
idea on what business is for. It is an
organisation actively engaging with all its
stakeholders; this does of course include
shareholders/owners but importantly
includes customers, employees, suppliers
and wider society. This approach is
beginning to get traction and has a
new term - Environmental and Social
Governance (ESG).
As a small business owner, getting
the balance right is important - build a
sustainable, thriving business and deliver
for society. Most companies will have
policies that address sustainability and
these are a given for any responsible
business.
These policies are essential and help
stake the business’s place as a valued
member of the community. We can all do
much more. A survey by Taylor Nelson
suggested that businesses who actively
engage with their community reduce staff
turnover.
Here are some ideas that businesses of
any sizes can do to grow their ESG.
Some local charities and community
projects offer the opportunity to volunteer.
Mudchute Farm based on the Isle of Dogs
provides such opportunities. It works
closely with firms located in Canary Wharf
The dawn
of ESG
EN speaks to o3e, a pioneer for
closer collaboration between
event agencies and community
and caters for small groups. A typical
day could involve mucking out, feeding
animals or helping with the upkeep.
Semble (formerly Project Dirt) brings
community projects together with
companies to fund programmes organised
by neighbourhood groups.
Semble has national coverage. A
typical day of volunteering may involve
refurbishing a community centre or
children’s playground, helping maintain
a community garden or even cooking for
groups who need a helping hand.
Barnardo’s has an ongoing campaign
where it has teams from different
companies or departments competing
in a sales challenge. Using all the teams
resources, the task is to sell as much as
possible in a single day. This works really
well for small groups of six to 10 people
and provides a networking opportunity
with other organisations.
Moving on to more explicit team
building activities, certainly one of the
most popular is Building a Bike for Charity
or Charity Bike Build as we like to call it.
The great advantage is the scale, as you
can start with as little as six people either
as a private event or becoming part of a
joiner event, here you will compete with
companies within your local area whilst
building bikes for local charity groups.
You can also buy a team-building event
in a box, OnBoard - this inexpensive
Skateboard decorating and assembly
team challenge comes with all the kit,
facilitators instructions, templates,
charity contact and even information on
sending the unused paints and stencils
back for reuse.
There are also opportunities to focus
on a cause and design a team-building
challenge, which helps move it forward.
Recently we were approached by
a company who was interested in
sustainable transport for the school run.
We worked with a charity who work with
primary-aged children, and in conjunction
with them we were able to launch a brand
new challenge that delivered sustainable
transportation to 20 young children.
As a small business, whatever you
decide to do to engage your team, the
opportunity to do it in association with
your local community is always there. You
just need to reach out.
And did our intern have a change of
heart? You’ll have to ask him. He’s still
helping us on our unique events. EN
Peter Lindsay is founder of o3e the UKs
largest event company totally focussed
on helping businesses engage with their
employees whilst giving back to society. O3e
are close to £1m of donations of equipment
and money to 100’s of charity and community
projects in the UK and Europe.
October — 19