Katharine Glass, Director, White Label 

The last 15 months have been challenging for all businesses – working out what to stop, start or continue in order to survive and ultimately thrive, along with how to continue to support staff on or off furlough – have added to the juggling act of being a business owner.

On top of this, never has there been a greater need for businesses to give back to the communities they serve – although the ‘profit for purpose’ mantra is a difficult line to follow when profits fall off the cliff due to a global pandemic.

In recent years, it seems CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) has become an over-used phrase with companies accused of paying lip-service – but I really do believe it’s embedded in our ethos, it’s a part of who we are.

We (fellow Director Jo Gumb and myself) founded White Label back in 2010 as we were tired of working for large box ticking corporate businesses who were mainly driven by the need to make money. We wanted to work with people we liked and for clients and on projects we liked, who all had similar visions and values, while also delivering a better work life balance for ourselves and employees.

Shortly after launching White Label, we also set up Develop Croydon – working in partnership with clients who understood the need for a combined effort to improve the perception of the borough. Six months later, Croydon was devastated during the London riots of 2011 and, like the COVID-19 pandemic, plunged businesses into the damaging unknown.

However, the riots provided a platform for positive change; at White Label; with the focus of giving back to the community, we were successful in securing funding to deliver the annual South Croydon Food Festival, the beginning of a successful relationship with the South Croydon Business Association that still continues today.

And Develop Croydon, thanks to its partners realising a need to give back to enhance growth, has been credited with helping the borough’s drive to become one of the fastest growing local economies in the UK. Now our not-for-profit Community Interest Company, Develop Croydon, supported by more than 65 partners from across all sectors, continues to support the borough’s regeneration and growth today. You can find out more about Develop Croydon here, and its partners here.

While White Label has expanded its reach beyond Croydon, we’ve always stayed true to our roots, employing local people and local suppliers where possible. We’ve always had at least one apprentice and regularly offer work experience to young people.

At the outset of the pandemic, last March, we went back to our roots and volunteered our expertise to support Croydon businesses and our wider network of friends and clients. We published 78 e-bulletins to keep communities informed and ran a series of webinars. We weren’t paid for this; it was just the right thing to do.

On a personal level, I’ve been in Croydon for more than 35 years. In that time, I’ve taken on a number of roles and for several years have volunteered my time as the Chair of Trustees at Croydon Commitment, a charity that acts as a broker to enable businesses to give back through CSR. As a business owner it’s sometimes challenging finding ways to help your community and Croydon Commitment opens up opportunities for businesses to mentor and volunteer. They have just received funding from John Lewis for a ‘Ways to Work’ programme – more information is available here – which will help local people reskill and upskill to take up new careers and employment following the pandemic, and we will support this in any way we can.

I am also on the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) board and support the work of the Croydon and Surrey Constructing Excellence Clubs. My fellow White Label director, Jo Gumb, is a trustee of Start Up Croydon and these positions are voluntary and undertaken willingly because this is our own personal way of sharing our knowledge and expertise to benefit other businesses and economies.

In addition, White Label is a London Living Wage business and an accredited Croydon Good Employer. We voluntarily host events for Croydon Constructing Excellence Club and launched the club’s Surrey branch and we also hosted the Big Breakfast – IKEA networking programme at IKEA for free.

For us, it’s also important to look within from a CSR viewpoint, as well as beyond.

A survey by experience management platform, Qualtrics, into the impact of corporate social responsibility in the UK following COVID-19 reveals 59% of employees are more likely to be engaged at work if their company participates in corporate social responsibility and/or charity initiatives. It also found that 82% of employees who take part in CSR initiatives consider themselves proud of their company. You can read more here.

We have a fantastic team culture at White Label, strengthened by the charity events we have taken part in. We’ve abseiled 23 terrifying floors of No.26 Croydon Dingwall Road for Croydon Commitment, had team members get their bakers hats on for Macmillan coffee mornings and many of us slept out in BOXPARK to support the homeless. Despite the being locked down and working from home we’ve maintained a robust and fun virtual social schedule that seen us do everything from Yoga, Escape Rooms, Quiz Nights and Book Clubs.

More importantly, we’ve been able to continue our support people throughout a period when they’ve needed it most. We’ve helped students get ready for the next steps in their career with virtual mock interviews, and donated money to charity as part of our Virtual Christmas Party and Red Nose Day.

The Qualtrics survey also found “Reducing carbon footprint” is the number one initiative UK employees would like their organisation to focus on. We have a sustainable events policy which commits us to working with local and sustainable suppliers at all our events, reducing waste and energy consumption to a minimum. We are also currently reviewing our general sustainability policy to see what further improvements we can make to becoming a net zero company as we look to return to office working.

So, it goes without saying we believe businesses should embrace CSR. It is certainly beneficial for the communities in which we operate, be it socially or economically. However, there are also clear benefits to businesses including staff satisfaction and an enhanced reputation as an ethical company which may in turn attract talent and new business. CSR can provide fun and interesting marketing opportunities without the need for a hard sell while sharing your own time and expertise opens doors to new relationships and knowledge in the business world. Who knows what opportunities may arise!