In case you missed it, we officially became B Corp Certified at the end of last year! This achievement is a testament to all the hard work the UpSlide team has put in over the past few years to uphold our beliefs and values. It’s also, and most importantly, a stimulus for further progress.
So when our friends at B Lab invited us to take part in their We Go Beyond campaign for B Corp Month, we jumped at the opportunity to share how we’ve been going beyond business as usual to make our mark on the world.
We pledge to continue having a positive impact – whether that’s for our people, communities or the environment. Here are just a few of the ways we’re going beyond our B Corp Certification:
TL;DR
We became B Corp Certified last year! But we pledge to continue having a positive impact.
We go beyond for our people by recognizing and rewarding our employees for their contribution, beyond salary compensation.
We also strive to have a positive impact on the people we work with and our communities. So we introduced new discount pricing on our software for NGOs and B Corps.
Going beyond for our people
The B Corp community understands the importance of considering all people, beyond just its shareholders. At UpSlide, we aim to positively impact the lives of everyone we come into contact with, be it our employees, customers or local communities.
Our teams are at the core of our business; they’re key to our success, and as such, it’s essential to recognize and reward them for their contribution beyond salary compensation. That’s why we’ve enabled all UpSliders to join our shareholder plan and build together, as partners, the company’s future. We’re proud to say that 30% of our company is now employee-owned.
We’ve also implemented a global wellness initiative to subsidize our teams’ health and fitness activities. Whether it’s spin classes, yoga, or mindfulness subscriptions, we encourage our teams to unwind however works best for them.
We want our teams to feel supported with their mental health too. Our sister company, Institut des Potentiels Humains, empowers individuals to reach their full potential. They deliver a variety of training sessions to help UpSliders boost well-being and prevent burnout, for example:
- How to best support your teams
- How to set boundaries at work
- How to deal with conflict
While our managers are well-equipped to support their teams, we recognize that it can often help to seek support from an expert. We’ve partnered with an external mental health coach who can be consulted if and when our employees need it.
Going beyond for our community
As well as our own people, we also strive to have a positive impact on those we work with and the communities around us.
We want to support customers who uphold similar values to our own, and encourage others to join the cause. That’s why in 2021, we introduced new discount pricing on our software for NGOs and other B Corps.
Last year, we also hosted a company-wide Positive Impact Day to discover how our teams would like to make their mark on the world. Many UpSliders want to devote more time to causes that matter to them.
We listened, and we gave our teams the opportunity to donate one working day to helping a local charity of their choice.
Our Paris office are volunteering with Boomforest, a charity that builds Miyawaki forests in diverse environments for ecological and social benefits.
Our Singapore team are volunteering with humanitarian aid charity Willing Hearts, a soup kitchen that prepares and distributes up to 11,000 meals a day. Similarly, our Berlin team is spending time with Berliner Tafel EV, a food bank fighting waste and poverty.
This is only the start of our volunteering journey; we’ll continue to drive these initiatives forward to increase our positive impact on local communities.
Going beyond for the environment
Like every business that applies for a B Corp Certification, we went through the B Impact Assessment (BIA) to investigate our environmental and social performance. During this process, we measured our global carbon footprint as a benchmark for the future.
While this was enough to earn our B Corp status, we’re committed to reducing each employee’s carbon footprint by 5% year-on-year and financing reductions equivalent to our remaining emissions.
We’re constantly exploring ways to achieve this, and among other things, we’ve already reduced plane travel for employee business trips and company seminars, and have better insulated our Paris office.
So, to answer B Lab’s question, how do we go beyond? By continuing to focus on building a better future for our employees, customers, and communities – placing purpose above profit.
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