Last week we learned that our head office — Gibbons Whistler — was named one of the “Best Workplaces in Canada.”
Recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute Canada, Gibbons was one of the top 15 small businesses in Canada. The award is specifically for our head office, the 28 employees in charge of marketing, finance and human resources. Among other things, the award highlighted our long-standing weekly family dinners at Gibbons as one of the factors that set us apart.
Well done team!
I don’t think we were really expecting to win anything. We’ve never really entered awards in the past so this was an exercise designed to see where we stand, a way for us to learn from others and ultimately become better. To be perfectly candid, I’ve never put much stock in outside awards and labels. We don’t need a logo at the top of our letterhead to tell us we’re a good employer; we’re a good employer because we do the right thing.
What I’ve learned throughout this exercise, however, is that there is immense value in the process to get there.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be recognized as one of the “Best Workplaces in Canada.” What a message that sends to our employees, our future employees, and to people we do business with. But I think the true value in the award has less to do with the label itself, and far more to do with what it takes to get recognized.
Applying for awards like these forces you to take a deep look inwards and give some serious evaluation to your business — What kind of business are we? How do we measure up against others? Are we on the right path?
It really has me thinking: Can we be better?
I think we can.
Just last week I was at a conference talking about B Corps. Born out of the multi-million basketball footwear and apparel company AND 1, B Corps are companies that use “the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.” Certified B Corps meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, going beyond their own bottom line, thinking globally.
Isn’t that the kind of company we want to be?
Thinking beyond ourselves. Thinking bigger than Whistler. Doing the right thing.
Now that’s a label I can jibe with as we make plans for the future — growing, diversifying and evolving.
Check out: Why B Corps Matter?