Update: We are thrilled that as of December 2023, TTC, The Travel Vault and Stonecot Trustees are all certified B Corps. Find out more here.
We’re currently on the road to becoming a certified B Corp. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re realising the journey is as important as the destination. And we’re learning lots about ourselves along the way.
Why have we decided to go through the B Corp process?
Becoming a B Corp means joining a league of companies that meet rigorous standards in social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. We’ve always aimed to make a positive impact when it comes to our team, clients and community, and we wanted to benchmark ourselves against a framework to ensure we were achieving that.
The B Corp impact assessment was great for us to test this.
Our first steps to becoming a B Corp
Our B Corp journey started in September 2020 when we took our first run-through of the B Impact Assessment. This assessment covers five main areas across the business: governance, workers, community, environment and customers, and you gain points based on your answers in each area. The target is a minimum of 80 points across all areas to earn that coveted B Corp certification.
We soon realised that while we share the values and attributes of a B Corp, as a small company, much of this was informal. So, we rolled up our sleeves and spent the last two and a half years working through each area of the B Impact Assessment. We’ve focused on formalising our processes and policies and documenting evidence to demonstrate how we meet each area.
We now find ourselves patiently waiting in the verification queue, a journey that will take a few months. But regardless of the outcome, we believe going through this process has already made us a better business. Here are a few reasons why:
1 – We have a clearer sense of purpose
The B Corp process encouraged us to reflect on our company values and ensure they align with our day-to-day practices. Our people and clients have always been at the heart of our values, but recently, we’ve been on a quest to embed these values into everything we do.
Before the B Corp journey, Travel Trade Consultancy, The Travel Vault, and Stonecot Trustees operated somewhat independently. But now, we’ve brought them all together, allowing us to lean on each other for expertise and resources, resulting in a more integrated and collaborative approach. We have evaluated our collective purpose and aligned our operations, making us a stronger and more cohesive organisation.
2 – We have formalised our charity commitments
The assessment helped us identify areas where we could improve our impact, and we set some ambitious goals for the future. We’ve always encouraged our team to volunteer their time, and we’ve donated to charities along the way. But we’ve never actually had any targets.
That’s why we boldly decided to commit to donating 1% of our annual revenue to support causes that matter to our team and the travel sector. We also donate 1% of our time, giving everyone up to three paid days off every year to volunteer for charities, schools, or any community organisations that are important to them.
3 – We have ensured all our policies are fit for purpose
As a small team in a fast-moving sector, we’ve often found ourselves caught up in the whirlwind of day-to-day operations. With so much going on, we rarely found time to formalise and document important policies.
The B Corp process has given us the opportunity to take stock. We’ve revamped policies in key areas such as maternity, sustainability, equality, diversity, and inclusion — ensuring they give the team clarity without stifling our flexibility.
4 – We measure employee and client satisfaction
Historically, our approach to seeking feedback from our team and clients could best be described as “informal”! It certainly wasn’t something we did regularly enough.
However, we’ve learned that consistent feedback is key to making meaningful changes in our business. So, we decided to up our game.
Introducing an anonymous employee survey has been instrumental in driving some positive changes in our business. It has allowed us to gather valuable insights from our team, leading to improvements such as sharing more detailed company objectives and rewriting our handbook.
Not forgetting our clients! Their feedback is crucial to ensuring we’re delivering a top-notch service. We like to think we’re doing a good job, but stepping back and asking our clients for detailed feedback has been eye-opening. We’ve started actively seeking their input, allowing us to fine-tune our services and provide an even better experience.
5 – We’re monitoring our environmental footprint
Sustainability is something we’re very passionate about at TTC. We continually look for ways to improve our carbon footprint and give back to the planet. When we started the B Corp process, we were already thinking about how we could monitor our environmental footprint, and understanding how other B Corps do it helped us move forward.
That’s why we enlisted the expertise of Terraverde Solutions to measure our emissions accurately. Their findings are helping us shape our sustainability policies and set ambitious targets to minimise our environmental footprint. It’s a continuous effort, and we’re committed to making a positive impact.
An ongoing process
We’re fully committed to becoming a B Corp, and we’re going to do whatever we can to meet the stringent requirements for certification.
But whether or not we make it all the way, the B Corp application process has improved us. And we’re proud that we’re already using our business to positively impact the lives of our people, our clients and the community we live in.
If you are interested in hearing more about our B Corp journey, please get in touch.
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