business management
Becoming a
B CORP Sustainability certification can help attract and retain the best and brightest employees. By Samantha Richardson, CPA ASA
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any engineering firms seek to gain an edge by attracting their choice of employees—in particular, individuals who are motivated, keen and taking an intentional approach to their work. One way to get their attention is by showing your firm lives out the values it preaches. Such commitment can be demonstrated by taking steps to change the firm’s corporate structure to that of a ‘B Corp.’ Benefit Corporation (B Corp) certification is to businesses what fair trade certification is to coffee producers, i.e. it signals to outsiders that a company measures up to a verifiable set of ethical standards. The concept originated in the U.S., where corpo-
rate law requires firms to operate with profit as their number one goal, to the exclusion of all else, but where savvy business owners are also aware that prioritizing short-term profit and shareholder value over client and employee relationships can threaten a firm’s own long-term success. With this in mind, B Corp certification allows for legal protections that permit a firm to prioritize other stakeholders, in such a way that will eventually lead to more profit and sustainable success. Indeed, certified B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their customers, suppliers, workers and community and the environment.
Points are awarded for ‘best in class’ practices integrated into your business.
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Why you should consider it As its name might suggest, there are many benefits to B Corp certification. Among the biggest advantages for small to medium engineering firms comes in addressing the constant challenge of hiring the best and brightest new workers. According to multiple studies, millennials are more likely to choose to work for employers that exhibit higher commitments to sustainability. In fact, surveys show more than half of them consider sustainability when accepting a job offer and determining whether or not they will stay with the May 2020
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