Let’s start by saying the most important thing: we absolutely love our customers. So when Work.Life, a flex workspace provider for businesses who care about people, became B Corp certified in the beginning of 2022, we couldn’t be more proud. Work.Life was already a Living Wage Employer, and now the company also joined The Body Shop, Sipsmith Gin, Teapigs and around 1,100 more B Corps in the UK.

Launching an energy monitoring strategy within the business was part of a two-year path that finnaly led to certification – and that’s when Infraspeak stepped in to help. 

But first, what is a B Corp?

A B Corp refers to a company that has received certification from the non-profit organization B Lab. The “B” in B Corp stands for “benefit,” indicating their dedication to meeting stringent standards in social and environmental performance, as well as accountability and transparency.

What does it take to be B Corp certified?

In order to achieve certification, a company must: 

  • Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing a risk review. 
  • Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction. 
  • Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website. 

To obtain the B Corp certification, Work.Life underwent a thorough evaluation of their practices.  Becoming certified as a B Corp is a rigorous endeavor that demands significant effort and unwavering commitment. In the case of Work.Life, their own journey to certification spanned nearly two years!

The certification process entails a comprehensive assessment of five impact areas: Governance, Community, Workers, Environment, and Customers. Furthermore, recertification is required every three years to maintain the esteemed B Corp status.

Based on the B Impact assessment, Work.Life earned an overall score of 83.2. The median score for ordinary businesses who complete the assessment is currently 50.9.

Being on the light side of the force

A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for its workers, community, environment, and/or customers. As a service with a significant environmental footprint, Work.Life also wants to be a business dedicated to making positive changes in the world.

Furthermore, B Corp certified businesses demonstrate a commitment beyond mere profit-making. Being a B Corp means prioritising people and the planet over monetary gain, and it’s a principle Work.Life wholeheartedly believes in as they work towards establishing sustainable, inclusive, and fulfilling workspaces. It’s our pleasure, here at Infraspeak, to be the long-term partner that ensures maintenance management of such an impactful business runs smoothly!

Here are just a few of the initiatives that helped Work.Life become a B Corp workspace:

  • Renewable energy suppliers provide 100% of their electricity 
  • Recycling programmes in place in all their offices across London, Reading and Manchester
  • Using energy-efficient devices and light sensors
  • Tracking different attributes of their workforce to promote more diversity
  • Following an environmental PPP (Preferable Purchasing Policy) when choosing a supplier
  • Giving £5 to charity for every new member that joins Work.Life

How Infraspeak became part of the journey 

With 16 coworking spaces, over 6,000 members from every industry imaginable, and a strong team of brilliantly diverse, talented people, Work.Life was running on a ‘man with a pen and paper’ system. 

In 2022, it was evident that the time for a 180º twist (and an IMMP) had come. On the other hand, in order to meet the rigorous standards of B Lab regarding environmental practices, Work.Life wanted to guarantee that renewable energy suppliers provided their electricity entirelly. 

In the words of Work.Life’s facilities manager, Megan Beard, “part of this involved using the utilities section of Infraspeak to launch an energy monitoring strategy within the business. We successfully did this for the entirety of 2022 across all of our co-working spaces (…). From here we plan to set reduction targets and are looking into trends within our data to further make positive changes to the running of our buildings. We have been B Corp certified for over a year now, however we constantly strive to better our B Corp score and the impact we have as a business.”

Work.Life’s case is a perfect example of how crucial building maintenance and workspace management are, even more in a context of enhanced environmental awareness, where we must also think about the tole running facilities take on the planet. Setting up an optimised and 100% renewable energy strategy was one of the ways Work.Life chose to work towards compliance and responsability, and having the right platform along the way makes it easier to track progress, assess visibility and gain back control of the several facilities.

Last, if you want to know more about why Infraspeak was the perfect fit to help Work.Life prepare for European expansion, take a quick look at our latest case study. We cover some nice insights there, such as how the company was handling maintenance prior to an IMMP and the major issues since implementing Infraspeak across Work.Life’s 16 sites.

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