The “New ways of working” has been quite present everywhere, the past year. You’ve heard about covid19, homeworking and working flexibility many times before. Even more in the specific context of pandemic.
It is also clear that nowadays people expect more from brands and companies. Whether they’re clients or employees, they want the brands to stand for something more than their product. From changing their communication to adapting their internal structures, companies acted. Businesses have understood how to appear stronger and more profitable: Values are key. And we’re not the only ones to say it, as Meetmagic’s CEO and founder, Carl Gough, founder and CEO of the purpose-led philanthropic initiative also wrote it.
How has the COVID19 pandemic affected business?
Economically, covid19 has led businesses to react and adapt, to digitalize. Costs were tremendous. Fear and uncertainty were tangible. As these concerns were global to every business, questions arise. The most obvious one: how broad the role of organizations in their communities should be?
Empathetic and conscious behaviors increased in the population during pandemic. Because economy and society have been both impacted by the pandemic, businesses have an important role to play. Their purpose ? Rebuilding the economy and making sure that the communities don’t suffer any more. And these preoccupations can be developed via various initiatives. CSR, social impacts, grants and donations, volunteering activities are on-trend.
The rise of purpose
Business now want to do good. Even more since the pandemic. They step up in the name of environmental and social issues. And they need to make sure that customers and employees also know about it. A study led by Deloitte Consulting actually showed that CEO’s considered societal activities as key factor for annual performance. Tools like Optimy’s help businesses organize their social impact activities. The rise of environmental and societal consciousness is there to stay, so why not make it easier to lead these projects?
But apart from following the pandemic trends, what are the benefits for businesses?
In a constantly-changing world, customers expect to buy from conscious and involved brands. Making sure that the audiences know about the brand’s differentiation and involvement in social activities is now a must-do.
As for your own teams, employees don’t work for brands only anymore. They work for values, engagement, interests that are key to them. Is it a generational debate? That’s still to determine. Truth is, people and mindset change and all that is left for businesses is to adapt.
COVID19’s legacy is here to stay
It’s now time for brands to show agility and to prove that they have heard and seen what was going on in the world these past few years. The world will not come back to its old habits, things will change and new ways of working are not even “new” anymore. And that is a good thing.
With covid19 and the rise of social impact activities come the values and the action of brands that deserve a shout-out. Whether it is by setting up a volunteering program internally or making sure that their donations are worthy of the best projects or sponsoring a project, any one can do some things, to its own pace. To all of them and you willing to leave your mark and get involved, we’re here for you.
