By Marybeth Alexander on Company culture from March 29, 2024
I’ve always been inspired by businesses that aim to use business as a force for good by prioritizing people and the planet over profit at all costs.
In the early days of building KnowledgeOwl, I didn’t have words for this type of business. However, after I learned about Certified B Corporations, I immediately added achieving B Corp Certification to our company goals list because the B Corp Certification process would provide a roadmap for building a business that is a force for good.
We started our B Corp journey in May 2020 and became an owlficial Certified B Corporation in December 2023 (hoot!).
Sometime during the rigorous B Corp Certification process, I became aware of another term for the type of business I was striving to build: people-first.
When I first stumbled upon People-First Jobs, I immediately recognized our company as part of the people-first community.
I was recently a guest on the Growth Support podcast. My conversation with Neal Travis helped me realize that I wanted to get better at clearly explaining what it means to be a people-first business.
This blog post is my attempt to explain what it means to be a people-first business and how becoming a Certified B Corporation can help with implementing and enhancing people-first policies and procedures.
The term “people-first” refers to a business philosophy that prioritizes the needs, well-being, and development of team members over other business concerns. The philosophy is rooted in the idea that when a company takes care of its people, the people will take care of the company.
There are 5 key elements of a people-first approach:
A people-first business strategy aims to create a supportive and positive environment that not only attracts great people but also retains them. This approach can be contrasted with the more traditional profit-first strategies that prioritize financial performance and shareholder value over the employee well-being.
While being a Certified B Corporation does not guarantee that a company prioritizes people over other concerns, many Certified B Corporations naturally embody the same principles of a people-first organization because the B Corp certification process promotes values that are aligned with the people-first philosophy such as social responsibility and sustainability.
Any business that has achieved B Corp Certification has demonstrated a significant commitment to the welfare of its workers (people!) along with the broader community and the environment (planet!).
While not all Certified B Corporations would explicitly describe themselves as “people-first”, all Certified B Corporations share some of the values of people-first companies.
Below is a breakdown of people-first companies versus Certified B Corporations when it comes to the 5 key elements of a people-first company.
Employee well-being | |
People-first companies | Certified B Corporations |
Ensure that the physical, mental, and emotional health of employees is supported. This might involve providing comprehensive healthcare benefits, mental health resources, flexible working arrangements, and initiatives that promote work-life balance. | Receive points for offering the following:
|
Professional development | |
People-first companies | Certified B Corporations |
Offer opportunities for growth and advancement, such as:
These offerings come from the company’s commitment to employees' future success and encourages employees to invest their talents and efforts into the company's success. | Receive points for:
|
Inclusive culture | |
People-first companies | Certified B Corporations |
Build a workplace environment that values diversity, encourages inclusion, and ensures everyone feels respected and valued.
This can lead to a more creative, innovative, and collaborative workforce. | Receive points for:
|
Employee engagement and satisfaction | |
People-first companies | Certified B Corporations |
Regularly seek feedback from employees about their experiences and satisfaction at work. Acting on this feedback demonstrates that the company values its employees' opinions and is committed to making improvements based on their input. | Receive points for:
|
Transparency and communication | |
People-first companies | Certified B Corporations |
Maintain open lines of communication between management and employees to share company goals, challenges, and achievements. This helps build trust and aligns everyone towards common objectives. | Receive points for:
|
When I first heard the term “people-first”, I didn’t think that “people” only referred to employees/workers. To me, “people” refers to every single human one interacts with, which includes customers, staff, vendors, and other members of the greater community.
Providing “great service” is one of KnowledgeOwl’s four bottom lines and this means providing great service to all humans, not just employees or customers.
My personal take on “people-first” means prioritizing and focusing on people over profit. The people-first philosophy acknowledges that businesses exist to serve people, and if you take care of people (yourself, your employees, your customers, and everyone else you interact with), the people will take care of the business.
I think our mission statement captures this sentiment well:
We share the KnowledgeOwl experience
Making valuable knowledge base software
Giving great service to everyone we meet
With the belief that business can be a force for good
Being helpful and kind in all our actions
To make life better for ourselves,
Our teammates, our customers,
And our communities too.
KnowledgeOwl is a people-first company because its primary purpose is to serve people (i.e. “To make life better for ourselves, our teammates, our customers, and our communities too.”)
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