A high profile panel of business leaders in the North has called on companies not to put creating profits and shareholder value ahead of their staff, customers, communities and the environment.
That was the view of some of the biggest names from the world of tech, manufacturing and the wider business community who took part in the latest 老九品茶Cloud roundtable.
The discussion 鈥� entitled 鈥榃hy doing the right thing in business is good for business鈥� 鈥� heard how investing in staff and customers and being nicer had boosted productivity and created a happier workforce.
Ian Finch, CEO, Mando
Mando is a Liverpool-based digital agency and has worked hard to protect staff welfare during the pandemic. All line managers have had mental health awareness training and the company sends monthly 鈥榯reats鈥� to everyone in the business.
CEO Ian Finch realised he had to do something when research revealed the prevalence of mental illness in the digital sector.
鈥淲ithin digital we have a higher percentage of employees who suffer with mental health issues than the average and the average is on the rise all the time,鈥� he said.
Mr Finch said investing in staff was paying dividends. 鈥淲e are nipping things in the bud earlier when people have problems,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e having more transparent conversations. We get them on track quicker.”
He said employee satisfaction, customer retention and profitability had all increased.
Safa Alkateb, CEO, Autocab
Cheshire-based Autocab was established in 1991 and now supplies over 50 per cent of the UK taxi market with its online booking and dispatch platform and white-labelled passenger apps. Uber announced it was acquiring Autocab earlier his year but it will remain independent.
The company appointed Lucy Sunner to support staff while working remotely and CEO Safa Alkateb said the difference has been transformational..
He said: 鈥淒uring Covid we made a pledge to our customers that we won鈥檛 make any money while they鈥檙e having difficulties out there. As you can imagine during Covid people don鈥檛 travel so taxi companies saw their revenues go through the floor. We devoted 拢1m to our customers and gave them back half the fees that they pay us. It got our customers to love us when they were hurting the most.鈥�
Frazer Durris, CEO, 老九品茶wise Solutions
Lancashire-based 老九品茶wise Solutions has set itself a target of being net zero by 2025 and wants to get 80 per cent of its staff driving electric vehicles. The energy procurement expert has also become a patron of the Blackburn Youth Zone.
CEO Frazer Durris said: 鈥淒oing the right thing by your staff and your customers clearly pays dividends in other areas. The business feels better for it. People are more committed. Financially, in the long run, it tends to make sense in terms of what you get back.鈥�
Andrew Graham, CEO, Graham & Brown
Andrew Graham MBE, is the CEO of Blackburn-based wallpaper manufacturer Graham & Brown and the founder of Blackburn Youth Zone, which offers more than 20 bespoke activities to young people for just 50p a visit.
He said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e 75 years old as a company next year and we now employ over 500 people worldwide. There are three stakeholders in any business. The employees, your colleagues. There鈥檚 our customers and there鈥檚 the shareholders. Those stakeholders are all equal.
鈥淏lackburn Youth Zone has been brilliant for our business because it gives us a focus for our community giving back. We believe fundamentally in trust, openness and collaboration.鈥�
Donald Moore, chairman, Rowlinson Knitwear
Stockport-based Rowlinson Knitwear is a 拢16m turnover supplier of school wear and corporate wear. It became employee-owned in 2015 and became a certified B Corp in 2020.
Chairman Donald Moore said the company switched its focus from creating shareholder wealth about 12 years ago and has never been happier or more successful.
鈥淲e said 鈥榝rom now on we鈥檙e going to put our people and our customers before profit and shareholders come last,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t transformed our company and we started to be really successful. Happy people mean happy customers.鈥�
Kate Norton, Group HR director Praetura Ventures
Manchester-based Praetura Ventures has the tagline 鈥榤ore than money鈥� and is changing the perception of VCs.
They鈥檙e committed to protecting the health of their staff and give all staff members a two-week 鈥榙igital detox鈥� when access to work emails and systems is switched off.
Group HR director Kate Norton said: 鈥淭he VC industry has a reputation about it just being about the cash and we wanted to change that. It鈥檚 about people and culture and doing the right thing. Doing the right thing trumps everything else.
鈥淲e started the digital detox this year it means for two weeks everyone has their emails and access to Teams turned off and they go on holiday.鈥�
Adam Higgins, co-founder, Capital & Centric
The Manchester-based developer recently appeared in the hit BBC TV documentary Manctopia and prides itself on being different.
Rather than sell developments to financial institutions and pension funds they sell direct to occupiers. Capital & Centric has helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to tackle homelessness and are committed to the conservation of old buildings.
Co-founder Adam Higgins said selling to the end user rather than financial institutions had resulted in them picking up more work. 鈥淲e鈥檝e realised that maybe you have to take a longer-term view on profits and it鈥檚 about doing the right thing for the people who buy off you and not the right thing for the investors,鈥� he said.
Sara Lawton, director, Rise Construction Framework
Rise Construction Framework operates by advertising across Europe for consultants and contractors to apply for work of the framework.
They鈥檝e set up a 鈥榗af茅鈥�, which is effectively a careers hub for young people who may have been in the care system or prison system and need help getting into the jobs market.
Director Sara Lawton said: 鈥淲e reinvest profits into community projects and initiatives to tackle deprivation and make communities safer and stronger.鈥�
Scott Hadden, director and chief experience officer, Mark Bratt Travel
North West-based Mark Bratt Travel is an ethical travel firm. When Covid struck and customers were waiting for refunds from operators they took out a bounce back loan so clients could be refunded immediately.
Director and chief experience officer Scott Hadden explained: 鈥淭he reason people use us is that their money is safe and protected. We felt the right thing to do was honour our obligations.鈥�
Mel Harper, marketing manager, Comply Direct
Skipton-based Comply Direct is an expert approved environmental compliance scheme and employs 29 people. They run a fully inclusive health and well-being programme as well as offering flexible working.
Marketing manager Mel Harper said: 鈥淪ince 2017 we鈥檝e had a health and wellbeing programme called 鈥楢 Better You鈥� and it proves that the more we invest into our staff and look after them it gives us the results we want. Productivity has increased and staff sickness levels are below 1 per cent.鈥�