Olark Handbook
B Corp Values - Why Did We Become a B Corp?
We’d love to tell you.
Olark has always been staffed by mission-driven folks. Many Olarkers have previously worked in customer support, nonprofits, universities, and the like. It’s likely due in part to this that our business has always focused on people-forward policies and culture.
A few years ago, we started thinking about what it means to become a B Corporation. B Corp certification is a stamp of sorts, an indicator that the company has gone through a rigorous certification process of their policies as it relates to customers, the environment, and staff. If you notice that little B with a circle symbol on a brand’s materials, you can assume that the company cares about their people.
Becoming a B Corp is multifaceted. As one example, we needed to work toward a social impact goal. We decided as a team to focus our social impact goal on digital accessibility.
We have been on an accessibility journey for a number of years, and you can read more about that in our initial blog post and our 2023 update. We participate annually in CSUN’s Assistive Technology Conference and Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), set quarterly goals focused on accessibility internally and externally, and manage an accessibility working group.
There are other aspects to being a B-Corp, but it looks a little different for every business. If you want to know more, we’d be glad to share!
People often ask us why we would go to the trouble of becoming a B Corp when we aren’t selling a physical product with a supply chain. The truth is: because we care deeply about our employees, our customers, and the world we live in.
Our policies and offerings affect our employees and our thousands of customers. We want anyone who works with us to rest assured that they’re dealing with an ethical, caring business. And as part of our mission to make business more human, we want to include all humans.