A positive company culture provides a foundation for an organization’s beliefs, values and business approach. But this can only be sustained by staying true to the company’s core values.
British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s (BCLC)
social-purpose
integration
has seen the company shift away from traditional industry models to utilize
gambling to “generate win-wins for the greater good.” Integral to this mission
is employee experience and the importance of catalyzing social purpose through
company culture.
BCLC’s values (integrity, respect and community) reinforce the social purpose,
which is the launching point for a positive culture — providing a foundation for
building an organization’s beliefs, values and business approach. But this can
only be sustained by staying true to the company’s core values.
“We’re trying to create win-wins for the greater good,” said Lisa
Fuller, Director of
People Development and Operations at BCLC. “But we can’t do that if we’re not
holding ourselves accountable to our core values.”
But accountability takes time. That’s why BCLC is creating a common language
around its values and how they translate into action. Aligning values and
purpose provides a standard of behaviors, expectations and how people keep each
other accountable. Company values, Fuller explained, create a common language
for BCLC employees — influencing how they show up and how they interact with
each other and the world.
Aligning Value Management and Regenerative Practices
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Therefore, weaving social purpose into the fabric of employee experience is a
foundational way to implement, scale and sustain BCLC’s values throughout the
organization.
BCLC looked at the employee lifecycle as a blueprint for building social purpose
throughout its verticals, starting with how talent is attracted to the company
through hiring and onboarding, daily work, professional development, and
offboarding and beyond. From this employee lifecycle, a journey map was created
— revealing key areas throughout the employee experience that could help fulfill
BCLC's social purpose:
-
Social Purpose and Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DI&B) commitments
included in job postings
-
Recruitment postings in non-traditional forums to target more diverse
candidates
-
Social-purpose-related discussions included in the interview process and new
employee orientation sessions
-
Social-purpose workshops delivered to BCLC employees
-
Integrating purpose into leadership and development programs
Deep employee investments and a sense of belonging are elemental to sustaining
an organization’s social purpose. What’s more, engaged and happy employees are
the best brand ambassadors — both on the job and off the clock.
“We want to make sure we are encouraging employee wellness,” Fuller said. “We’re
always looking at what is available in our programs and how we can make that an
opportunity to not only benefit our employees, but also really benefit the world
and make it a better place.”
Leveraging people and culture to generate win-wins
From procurement to long-term planning, BCLC seeks to make every decision
through a social-purpose lens. For example, pension plans adhere to the
UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment;
and procurement policies ensure materials are obtained from responsible sources.
BCLC recognized that embedding purpose into employee experience was pivotal to
driving change through its business operations. Some of the key advancements in
this area include:
-
An employee recognition program allowing employees to donate to select
charities
-
A phased retirement program — giving team members the time to gradually
transition out of employment, while effectively supporting succession
planning
-
Expanded opportunities to support employee wellness, such as increased
coverage for therapy and other psychological services
“It’s important for the organization to be very clear on asking, ‘Why are we
here?’” Fuller explained. “[BCLC] is here to create an exceptional gambling
experience while maintaining the health of our players and creating benefit for
society.” To achieve this, we focused on embedding social purpose into the
employee lifecycle — creating win-wins throughout the employee journey to create
a culture rooted in our values.
“As a result, our employees are clear on our social purpose; they believe in it
and know it’s the right thing to do.”
BCLC social-purpose accomplishments at a glance:
-
Focus on responsible gaming, including a successful player health
program
-
Connecting employees to charities
-
Incorporating ESG into business operations, pension plans and Canadian
Registered Retirement Savings Plans
-
Integrating purpose into procurement practices
-
Advertising recruitment activities in diverse communities
-
Accommodating varying employee needs — including phased retirement, benefits
coverage and professional-development programs
-
Focusing on fair, equitable and transparent compensation practices
The fact that BCLC, a gambling corporation, can adopt and align its business
model around a social purpose illustrates the power that organizations have in
shaping culture — both internally and externally. People want to do business
with companies that are aligned with their values, Fuller added. They also want
to work at such
companies,
indicating another important benefit of being guided by a social purpose:
Employee attraction and
retention.
Organizational change requires both top-down and bottom-up approaches. But
without sustained leadership buy-in, no amount of effort can embed social
purpose into an organization. Without senior leadership commitment, it’s hard to
expect buy-in and follow-through within the organization.
“Culture is one of those things that needs to be nurtured and fostered; and all
leadership has a role in this,” Fuller said. “So, if we don’t live our values —
if we don’t hold people accountable or set clear expectations — it’s hard to
create a positive culture. Therefore, it’s very important for leadership to play
a role in shaping culture.”
Published Jun 30, 2023 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Christian is a writer, photographer, filmmaker, and outdoor junkie obsessed with the intersectionality between people and planet. He partners with brands and organizations with social and environmental impact at their core, assisting them in telling stories that change the world.
Sponsored Content
/ This article is sponsored by
British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
This article, produced in cooperation with the Sustainable Brands editorial team, has been paid for by one of our sponsors.