I gave up time for B Corp. Maybe you should too?

By Nikita Shah, Senior Account Manager, The Grove Media

At the beginning of the year, The Grove gained B Corp status. We were all excited about this as it says such good things about us – the way we look after our people and care about the environment.

Ever since becoming B Corp, I have been interested in meeting employees from other certified companies so when B Lab advertised for volunteers to work at ‘Louder Than Words’, it caught my attention.

I ended up being an ‘Event Maker’ at what was described as the largest ever gathering of B Corps. So while the others from The Grove were in the sessions, I was outside on the street in Oxford, directing people and answering questions.

Yes, it did rain once, but that didn’t really matter, it was such a great experience working with the other volunteers. There was a real buzz across Oxford, from the transport hubs to each of the venues. All of the Makers were dotted around everywhere, and there was a real feeling that something exciting was happening.

So what did I get out of volunteering at Louder Than Words?

Well, I discovered just how good B Corp is for networking. I spoke with so many people, from so many different sectors – travel, hospitality, tech to name but a few. I even met one girl who flew to the UK from Panama just to be a volunteer! I came away with 30 or so LinkedIn invitations – way more than I’ve had in one go before.

From talking with literally hundreds of different people, I was able to get some really good insights into other people’s jobs and the companies they work in. Some companies were clearly a lot bigger than The Grove so they had dedicated sustainability roles. But despite our different jobs and industries, it was clear that we pretty much share the same values. We all want to make the world a better place.

During my three days in Oxford, it became clear to me that many of my colleagues may not fully appreciate what an achievement it is for The Grove to be a B Corp, or fully understand what it actually means. Why would they? Not everyone was involved in certification. So, I think we need to do more to educate and involve as many of people as possible. And not just the team – everybody. As volunteers, we were all wearing blue uniforms, so you couldn’t miss us. Members of the public were coming up to us all the time and asking what B Corp is.

Aside from the 5:30am wake up calls and aching feet, I was so pleased that I took part. I really did come away from it feeling like I have been part of something special.  I now have a much better understanding of what B Lab is trying to do. But honestly, more people and businesses need to get involved if we’re really going to make a difference. We need more events, meet-ups – whatever it takes. More companies need to become certified if we are going to do the right things for our people and planet.