For over 40 years, KSV’s purpose has been to thrive as a band of thinkers and makers focused on sustainable energy and motivated to do right by humankind. The reason? We know that when “doing good” starts from within, it leads to better work for our clients.
And, we know it’s not enough to talk the talk without walking the walk. After all, when we tell our clients about authenticity as a way to connect with current and potential customers, we don’t expect them to just say their company is authentic—we expect them to show their authenticity through the messaging, transparency, values and initiatives that make the company what it is.
So in 2018, KSV formalized the “good” within the agency that had been ongoing for many years by implementing the Good Energy program. This is an integrated health and wellness initiative that, through activities and programming, strives to build a culture of positive change, or good energy. Working from the inside out, Good Energy supports KSV’s purpose as a business that is passionate about sustainability and focused on energy.
Good Energy combined some of the working groups already present within the agency—our People Group and our Wo/Men@Work Group—with the initiatives we partake in as a B Corp member. Over the past year and a half, KSV employees have participated in a local park cleanup, a clean eating workshop, a constructive feedback seminar, a sustainable commuter challenge and many other activities that break away from their standard day-to-day routine and collectively work toward “doing good.” This collaborative effort has led to greater innovation within the company, which means better work for our clients and our community.
A 2017 study by Cone Communications showed that the definition of what it takes to be a “responsible” company is expanding, according to consumers across all industries: “When asked about the most important responsible business practice, consumers identified being a good employer as the top priority—showing that consumers want to do business with companies that, first and foremost, do good for their own people.”
Here’s what we would recommend to any company looking to implement something similar to Good Energy: Start right now. From our own experience, we've found that the conversations aren't one and done, but a continuous process of improvement. Facilitate conversations with your employees about how they would like to live and breathe your company values, in a way that will ultimately allow them to not only work better together, but also do better work for your customers.