'Best for the World' B Corp prioritizes employees and impact

What if every single business, every company, every place of work did everything in its power to prioritize people and the planet before profits? What if organizations prioritized positive community impact, as much as positive revenue graph lines? What if we realized all at once, that it doesn’t need to be an either-or scenario?

These may sound like updated (and less poetic) lyrics in a John Lennon song, but thanks to B Lab, these aspirations are becoming a reality.

B Lab is a global nonprofit network that has a goal to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. As their website states, they, "won’t stop until all business is a force for good."

To work toward this mission, B Lab, which was founded in 2006, employs a standardized and rigorous certification system which encourages businesses to become certified B Corporations. Today there are more than 4,000 certified B Corporations in 77 countries. One of the top rated examples worldwide is North Carolina’s own Participate Learning, which has been named in the top 10% of B Corp worldwide every year since 2013.

According to B Lab, a B Corp Certification is provided to businesses that meet "high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials."

B Lab employs a set of rigorous standards which is continuously updated by an independent advisory council to ensure that the tools used to evaluate companies are both effective and meaningful. Some factors that are often considered include environmental impact, clear and fair governance policies and equitable employment practices.

While each standard that companies are evaluated upon are important in and of themselves, the goal for B Lab is to help cultivate a community of businesses that are aware. With every business that steps toward greater justice and equity, a ripple effect takes hold and communities can begin to rise together.

Or, as Madeleine Albright is quoted as saying, "I often wonder to what extent business can help society in its goals and alleviate poverty, preserve ecosystems, and build strong communities and institutions... B Lab has proven that there is a way."

Once a company is certified, they can actually continue to work to improve their score as they more fully implement each of the B Lab’s guiding principles. In North Carolina, the highest rated B Corp organization is Participate Learning.

Participate Learning focuses on global education in K-12 schools and has made a strategic goal to work toward consistently improving their B Corp score by continuing to improve the culture for employees as well as evaluating every choice through the lens of positive community impact.

And the hard work has paid off. Participate Learning has been named a "Best for the World," business by B Lab for the last ten years in a row.

It might seem natural for a company like Participate Learning to achieve this kind of recognition. The mission itself is to unite the world through global learning, to educate young minds and to bring about the kind of understanding and knowledge that only comes with intentional education.

"The positive impact our services have on students from underserved communities, providing a vehicle for them to become global citizens and experience success in school are all part of ‘using business as a force for good,’" said Kerrie Frederick, Manager of Workplace Experience.

However, what many don’t understand about the B Corp designation is that it is much bigger than the mission of the organization itself.

Ranya Hahn, Chief Human Resource Officer for Participate Learning, said the company has an internal team which is focused on all aspects of the B Corp assessment including governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

"In the 21st Century economy, reinforced by the recent crises around the world, we recognize businesses are looked to as leaders in driving positive change locally and globally," Hahn said. "A company can’t just excel in one of these areas. In order to continue to improve our B Corp score, we must be actively involved in making improvements across all these categories."

"Everything we do, the way we operate, and the decisions we make, go through the B Corp filter," she said. "For example, when planning an event, we choose our vendors not only considering the price and quality of their products or services. We consider other factors, such as their environmental stewardship practices and ownership structure (local, minority or women-owned, employee-owned)."

Hahn said that by being supported and employed by a B Corp, employees are encouraged to make decisions that take into consideration not just their business needs and goals but also the interests of people and the planet.

"We truly believe in working together for tomorrow and prioritizing this in the investments

To better understand exactly how B Corp values positively impact employees, Hahn outlined a few specific ways Participate Learning works to facilitate a positive work environment:

In addition to these standard practices, Participate Learning goes the extra mile to create a holistic orientation for teachers who are recruited from other countries.

"During this orientation, we educate them about B Corp and the positive impacts it has," Frederick said. "Once they get settled into their school districts, we continue to support them and engage with them throughout their time in the U.S. and even after they return to their home country. Doing this allows teachers to educate their students about the same principles and implement them in their classrooms."

Hahn said when the company meets with potential new vendors they spend time explaining the importance of B Corp and look to partner with those who value their mission.

"In 2022, we went through a process of changing our medical insurance provider," Hahn said. "It was important for the new vendor to understand how we prioritize the well-being of our employees and teachers and ensure they could support us as a partner in this effort."

As Participate Learning continues to grow as a business, the company’s commitment to the B Corporation ideals also has also strengthened.