Good Business Campaign – Guenaelle Watson

For the first instalment in our new round of Good Business interviews, I spoke with Guenaelle Watson, managing director at 360 Workplace, a Fourfront Group company. Together, we discussed using communication as a driver for change, 360 Workplace’s B Corp certification and its ‘B-Keepers’ that help it operate as ‘Britain’s healthiest workplace.’

What made you want to take part in the Good Business campaign?

Businesses have a responsibility to be and do good. Two years ago, we committed to doing even better as an organisation, for both our people and our planet. Sustainability is very important to us, particularly given the volume of carbon emissions generated by the construction industry. Like other businesses in the built environment, we have a duty to try as hard as we can to mitigate the environmental impact of our operations. We achieved B Corporation status a year ago, which is something we’re incredibly proud of. From the offset in the assessment process, we had a high scoring base to start from, but there were areas we could improve… which we did.

Tell us more about your B Corp journey?

When it came to pursuing B Corp certification, we felt that the process should adopt a top-down approach as we wanted our people to be involved in the journey. We created several focus groups that empowered people to come together and discuss the areas that could be improved in our business. Any business can always do better in the areas they want to develop, so out of these discussions came changes, such as the introduction of an electric vehicle scheme so that people could charge their cars when they want to, and the introduction of a greener pension scheme. Until a member of the team flagged it, we didn’t realise how much impact pensions have in terms of the planet and investing in the right funds.

We have an inhouse head of sustainability in the business and we also worked together on the B Corp journey. We now always favour locally sourced and sustainable materials to ensure a responsible and robust supply chain. Our clients benefit from that insight and our approach, too as it helps them with their ESG targets.

So, the B Corp journey has led to some changes and big improvements, but it is an ongoing endeavour as we continue to improve and consider the impact our decisions have on our employees, clients, and suppliers, as well as the communities we’re part of, and of course the environment. Internally we have people who we call our ‘B-Keepers’ who lead the ongoing good business quest.

You were awarded as ‘Britain’s healthiest workplace’. Could you talk me through your workplace and how it makes everyone healthier and happier?

There were several collective initiatives we undertook rather than one big change. We started to offer breakfast and lunch in the office, which coincidently was just around the time that the cost-of-living crisis really took off. It may seem like a small thing but that made a huge difference to our team. Past this, we also have a running club and other physical exercise and activity groups. On days like Blue Monday, we offer our team massages in the office and run initiatives to help boost everyone’s spirits. We try as hard as we can to make a nice environment for people to work in. That includes the physical space. At our offices we actively monitor air quality through sensors. It’s a far-too-often-overlooked aspect of a workplace, but it has a profound impact on health. I am very proud to say that our workplace is now rated to a gold standard.

What would you say is marketing’s role in driving good business?

Marketing is about creating awareness. Using communication as a driver for action or change can be difficult in modern times when cutting through the noise can be quite hard. What you need to do is choose the right channels and pick the right people to have that conversation with. Hence why I’m talking to you!

How do you strike the balance between celebrating your achievements, but also calling out the areas for improvement?

Good communication isn’t about selling. It’s about how you can help, support or offer a solution to a problem or problems, be that with your clients and helping them along the way to make positive changes for themselves, or how you choose to speak about accessibility, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, internally and externally.

What are your thoughts on the business case for good business?

Any time we interview someone, it’s always one of the first questions they ask – what are you doing to make this world a little better and brighter? It’s an expectation and as a business you need to demonstrate why and how you do what you do. This is especially the case with the younger generation. For them, salary isn’t the only driver. An organisation’s purpose and values speak as much to them as the role and package on offer. There needs to be a sense of alignment.

There is a group within our business of people who are under 35 – they are called ‘Next Gen’. They’re tasked with investing into the social element of the business, so together we create an environment and network that supports learning, idea sharing, and a sense of community.

We believe in the power of face-to-face communication, so we put on a lot of events and facilitate networking for everyone, but especially for the younger working community.

What is the biggest lesson you and the business learned in the pursuit of becoming a better business?

I suppose we learned how to be patient. It’s a long process that involves many moving parts and creative inputs. Collaborating to this level was a very powerful and humbling experience. My advice would be not to undertake this task in isolation. Facilitating a collaborative environment and approach is really the only way to do it.