Social Value is playing a bigger part in our industry, and we believe in taking our social responsibility seriously. Safeguarding that is Social Value Coordinator Louise Griffiths. We checked in with her to find out more about what Social Value is and what she does at SEA.
Thank you for joining Louise, let’s start with the big one: What is Social Value?
Social Value doesn’t have a single definition; but it can be helpful to separate it into two things: A concept and a mechanism. As a concept, it refers to the wider impact that an organisation has on well-being beyond just the financial profit. As a mechanism, it’s a tool to create meaningful and measurable benefits that improve society, which we see through public procurement. It's a way to drive change in the communities that your people live in.
In public sector procurement, we’re seeing more of a focus on Social Value, following the Procurement Act and the release of a new Social Value Model (PPN002). so instead of just focusing on price, we’re seeing a lot more focus on where the money is going, and how it benefits local areas. Social Value is broader than just things like donations and volunteering, although they are massively important, it’s about embedding a social, economic, and environmental consideration into how we operate as a business.
Social Value can’t sit in a silo, so I spend a lot of my days on having conversations with different functions across the business to integrate these principles. It’s up to me to develop our Social Value Strategy and make that translatable to things like bids, but also to integrate it with our existing processes.
What made you go into Social Value at SEA?
I knew from quite early on that I was interested in sustainability, and I studied Sociology and Business at university, covering things like sustainable development and business ethics. Originally, I wanted to work in the Charity sector, but I soon realised that business can be a good lever for making a difference.
I was working at a boutique agency as a Social Value Consultant, working with some really diverse clients, which gave me some really varied experience. Then I came across the newly created role at SEA, and I wanted to really get the opportunity to get into the thick of things. It felt like a good challenge, and there was a lot of good already happening at a community level. The challenge isn’t starting from a blank slate but making what we already have more strategic.
How do you measure success in your role?
That’s a highly debated topic, and there are a lot of different approaches. There are metrics, KPIs and objectives you can set, but Social Value is highly qualitive. It’s about understanding the outcome and long-lasting change and speaking to people to understand how they experience what we’re doing.
Social Value is all about people at its core, and I’ve had so many interesting conversations across the company and externally; the collaboration on projects affects real lives. The potential impact you can have, and the impact you can see of delivering activities, that’s the real measure of success, and probably my favourite part about working in this space.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
A lot of this stuff is more long-term, but recently we collaborated with the IT team to set up an alternative pathway for our aged digital devices. Instead of disposal, we addressed our process and donated equipment to help communities experiencing digital exclusion and poverty throughout the UK. We’re waiting to see the measurable results of this, but the way we managed to approach that was something to be proud of.
Another proud moment was recently writing my first social value bid responses for SEA, it was quite busy and intense at times, but it helped me understand the process a bit more and understand how Social Value fits into them.
What’s the most challenging part of your role?
Balancing resources and practicality with ambition. We want to do everything, but there are deadlines and budgets. There are all sorts of pressures associated with delivery and reporting to make sure that the things we do are strategic and aligned to our business goals.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into Social Value?
It’s a relatively new area, and there’s not much by way of formal training in it yet, you don’t need to know the legislation inside-out from the get-go. You may find that you have a lot of transferable skills that you can use to start your career. Soft skills are very important, it’s crucial to be able to adapt and see the bigger picture. Social Value is a blend of understanding the policy, the people and the data, and then it’s about being able to turn all of that into action.
What can people do to take their own responsibility in creating sustainable change?
You can see where you are in your community and take local action. You can also look at where you are within your organisation. There are opportunities everywhere. We won’t change the world overnight, but if we all make small, incremental changes and make conscious choices for continuous improvement, we can make a positive impact and the world a better place one step at a time.
At SEA, there are a lot of things that were initiated by our people, whether it’s campaigns such as Menopausing for Thought, or volunteering, which can create a snowball effect, and improve people’s - and our communities’ - wellbeing. That’s why it’s important to share what you’re doing.
And on that note, thanks for sharing, Louise.
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