How Human Are You?

HOWHUMANAREYOU?

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We believe that the time has come for business to stop looking at people as resources and to start looking at them as human beings. Moving away from a focus solely on maximising profi ts and profi tability – to focusing on how we can help people reach their highest potential and purpose – which will naturally have a positive impact on the bottom line.

As this is all about people, we don’t want to be too prescriptive, but we do want to ensure we truly recognise what we are doing right and what we can all get better at.

So we’ve worked with a bunch of people to come up with nine elements of a human centred company. This book will help you road test your own organisation to see how human you are.

We also want your feedback on the nine elements.

Do they work? Have we missed anything?

We’d love to hear what you think. Get in touch with us by dropping a line to Anna Gowdridge, Head of People at Virgin Unite, at [email protected].

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THE NINE ELEMENTS

01 : DIGNITY & FAIR TREATMENT

02 : DIVERSITY & EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

03 : A POSITIVE WORK SPACE & ENVIRONMENT

04 : WELL-BEING FOR THE WHOLE PERSON

05 : FAIR PAY & BENEFITS

06 : CONTINUOUS LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

07 : PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP

08 : GLOBAL BELONGING

09 : MEANINGFUL WORK, DELIVERING PURPOSE & JOY

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SO –HOWHUMANAREYOU?

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01:DIGNITY & FAIR TREATMENT.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

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how might you be more human?

how are you doing on a scale of 1-100?

what are you doing well?

Dan Price, Founder and CEO of credit card payment processing company Gravity Payments, decided to introduce a new minimum wage of $70,000 (£47,000) for the entire work force, while reducing his own by 90 percent. Mr Price told staff in a weekly meeting that he would be cutting his $1million salary to $70,000 too, as well as eating into the company’s profi ts to pay the extra money.

Nike’s footprinting work has confi rmed that the fi nished goods manufacturing part of their value chain is where many of their biggest impacts on people are felt. Their systems mapping has helped them understand the interrelationships and identify their points of leverage in the complex manufacturing supply chain. They are working in their own supply base and they share their experiences in order to be a catalyst for positive change across the industry.

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02:DIVERSITY & EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

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The Coca-Cola Company‘s global diversity mission is to mirror the rich diversity of the marketplace they serve and be recognized for their leadership in Diversity, Inclusion and Fairness in all aspects of their business, including Workplace, Marketplace, Supplier and Community, enhancing the Company’s social license to operate.

Healthcare company Merck strives every day to create an inclusive workplace, where diverse perspectives are respected and all opinions matter. Diversity is woven throughout their business practices and training strategy, and their leaders are accountable for specifi c objectives related to diversity and inclusion. Results are measured in terms of individual, division and company-wide performance. They provide equal employment opportunities to all qualifi ed job applicants, and they cast a wide net in their search for talent and suppliers – large and small – from all segments of the business community.

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03:A POSITIVE WORK SPACE & ENVIRONMENT.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

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Spanish architects SelgasCano have embraced biophilia which asserts that due to our instinctive bond with nature, bringing natural elements into the offi ce improves productivity. Their offi ces are built in the woods near Madrid, with the north side of the building made from completely transparent acrylic and using natural ventilation.

Video game company Valve uses a modular work model that stems from the ‘freelancer economy’ whereby team members are free to work on any of the company’s projects that they fi nd interesting or think they could contribute to. In order to do this, they are free to arrange the working environment and desk and team structures as they see fi t.

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04:WELL-BEING FOR THE WHOLE PERSON.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

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Health insurance provider AETNA’s CEO Mark Bertolini suff ered a broken neck during a ski accident in 2004. As part of his recovery process he vowed to introduce what he calls “mindful benefi ts” to his 35,000 staff . His vision put in place the wellness programme at the company today which includes yoga and meditation, and cash incentives for healthy behaviours.

SAS, the leading business analytics software and services provider, believes in empowering its employees and families to achieve and maintain balance in all aspects of their lives. Their wellness programmes include free on-site health care facilities which are used by 90 percent of their employees, and 73 percent of those use it as their primary health care provider. SAS also provides seminars on wellness and yoga, as well as annual health check-ups. The business case for their on-site heath care is clear - in 2009 SAS saw savings of $1.41 for every $1 invested in employee wellbeing.

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05:FAIR PAY & BENEFITS.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

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John Lewis Partnership is the largest employee-owned company in the UK. The model gives co-ownership to every member of staff in the organisation. It’s widely considered to be the reason behind the superior customer service at the stores, with staff showing high levels of engagement, service and knowledge of products. The brand has earned a huge level of trust with UK consumers, enabling it to remain incredibly successful throughout the recession.

Virgin Management has used their benefi t off ering to ensure that they are supporting work life balance and family commitments for all employees whilst continuing to demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion. This has included introducing unlimited annual leave, fl exible working for all employees and a new parental leave policy that allows both men and women to take paid leave within the fi rst year of a baby’s birth or adoption – including up to 1 year at full pay for those with 4 years of continuous service.

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06:CONTINUOUS LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

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Benefi ts specialists Next Jump describe themselves as ‘a deliberately developmental organisation’. They believe that in order to make the world a better place, you fi rst need to focus on bettering yourself. Next Jump believes this is a pre-requisite in today‘s human capital economy and calls it “Better Me + Better You = Better Us.”

Business software and solutions company SAP believe that everyone is a talent and that their people, who represent their greatest asset, are the secret behind their continued success and they want to empower them with the tools and resources to help them shine. To achieve this they have created a Development Playbook to enable team members to question; Who am I? Where do I want to grow? How can I get there?

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07:PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

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The Tata Group of companies believes in leadership with trust. They are committed to improving the quality of life in the communities they serve. They practice returning to society what they earn, which evokes trust among consumers, employees, shareholders and the community.

Unilever defi nes their purpose as making sustainable living commonplace. They are developing new business practices that grow both their company and communities, meeting people’s desire for more sustainable products and creating a brighter future. The plan will help them double the size of their business while reducing their environmental footprint and increasing their positive social impact.

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TOMS was founded on the One for One model which matches every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of shoes given to a child in need. This has since expanded to over 60 countries, including new One for One lines such as eyewear to give sight to a person in need and creating local jobs by producing shoes in the countries where they give.

Bridgeway Capital Management is committed to transformative change for both their company and the communities in which they work. Their mission is the prevention of oppression, genocide and human rights violations. To achieve this they give away 50% of their profi ts to non profi t organisations each year and empower their people to actively invest their time and resources in making a diff erence to the lives of others.

08:GLOBAL BELONGING.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

(circle your score)




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09:MEANINGFUL WORK, DELIVERING PURPOSE & JOY.WHO‘S DOING IT WELL?

10 20 30 40 50 90 80 70 60 100 %

(circle your score)




IDEO is an innovation and design fi rm that uses a human-centered, design-based approach to create impact through design. IDEO is built on a foundation of friendship and entrepreneurial verve. They navigate each day with curiosity, optimism and a sense of humour and they love what they do.

Patagonia is a designer of outdoor clothing and gear for the silent sports: climbing, surfi ng, skiing and snowboarding, fl y fi shing and trail running. They aim to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

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notes

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SO – HOW HUMAN ARE YOU?

We’d love for you to join our People Innovation Network and share your experiments of new ways of working to change work for the better.

For more details please contact Anna Gowdridge, Head of People at Virgin Unite, at [email protected].

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How Human Are You?