contents
Our areas of focus
1. Introduction
our journey so far
Ever since Vox Pops International was formed in 1988, we’ve always put people first. Whether that’s from our starting point, putting a pen in the hands of members of the public to fill out surveys, or to more recent years, putting them front and centre of the camera, under the guise of video production. Vox Pops expertise has always championed people, not only who we connect with, professionally, but also our staff.
Fast forward to January 2022, we became an EOT (Employee Owned Trust), where the ownership of the company was put into the hands of every member of the Vox Pops family, making them the direct beneficiaries of the company’s future success. Naturally, the direction that the staff wanted to push the company forward was areas which ultimately aligned with the B-Corp ethos, which we heard from the grapevine from our close relationship with innocent drinks. Becoming a force for good and advocating positive change.
Vox Pops became a B-Corp in December 2023 after a year long application process but it’s safe to say that the change it’s created has resonated with all staff in a positive light and that the ‘B-Corp ethos’ is now considered at every step we take. Even though the past year has been a difficult one due to the nature of our business being directly affected by world events (where there were plenty), we are positive in what we’ve achieved and also what’s next to come in our journey. We consider everything possible if we think collectively, focus and work hard.
2. Impact Assessment
summary & score
To become B-Corp certified, businesses must score a minimum of 80 points. We’re proud to have achieved an impact score of 89.4, which we received in December 2023. But for us, this score is simply a starting point. Our goal is to create and drive company objectives in each of these areas for the better of our staff, the company, our clients and the people around us. Our aim is to refer to, and work on our score daily, rather than when recertification is in sight.
We aim to improve our scores across each of the 5 core categories.
Our verified B Corp Score
Our B Corp Score Breakdown
The certification process encourages VPI to assess and improve our social and environmental impact and progress on a continual basis ensuring we maintain our image as a good corporate citizen. Our staff feel more motivated and engaged working for a company with a mission beyond profit.
John Earnshaw
Finance Director, Vox Pops International
Becoming a B-Corp organisation has meant a lot to everyone at Vox Pops. Since December, there has been a significant morale boost, with a greater drive in becoming a ‘force for good’. It has become a pillar of who we are and what we stand for.
We’re only at the start of our B-Corp journey and can’t wait to see what will happen next.
Peter Norris
Creative Director, Vox Pops International
We certified in December 2023
3. Snapshot
from the last 12 months
We interviewed
736
individuals
We worked with
38
new clients
We improved on
Colleague Mentoring
Allowing all of our colleagues to have monthly time to discuss their professional development
We received an average NPS score of
9.76
(Out of 10)
We supported
19
charities
We launched
A new web portal for every client
to make the project run as seamless as possible
We completed
93
projects
We launched
An Employee Council
To empower our colleagues to have an impact across the business
4. Our areas of focus
a. governance
2024 has been a big year of change for us, even before becoming a B-Corp. Our overall company-wide goal has always been to empower the voice of our staff in aid to create positive change across all areas of the business, for the better. But as time has moved on, we’ve also wanted to increase support to our staff by prioritising their well-being, professional development and training opportunities.
This year we also set out to change how we evaluated success, by creating department OKRs and having stricter financial reporting. As an EOT company, we have always aimed to be transparent with staff across all levels, especially finances, which when paired with improved internal communications, our internal satisfaction reporting across the board has never been higher.
What we’ve set out to do in the last 12 months
- Implement monthly mentoring sessions available to all staff
- Increase company wide training sessions
- Establish an ‘Employee Council’, to obtain staff feedback on a range of different topics throughout the year
- Continue flexible, hybrid working
- Create an Employee Charter
- Increase transparency of financials across the business
- Improve on internal communications; with weekly team meetings, monthly management meetings, quarterly EOT stakeholder meetings and a yearly company review
- Cultivate monthly and yearly targets with sizeable rewards
What we’re planning next
- Offer First Aid training for all staff
- Set aside budget for training and development for all staff
- Encourage staff engagement across all projects, allowing room for creative conversations early on
- Build strategic partnerships to support the industries we work in
- Create ‘VPI Tribes’ to drive further company ambitions
- Continue to push our ‘People First’ agenda, regarding the voice of the people which is our main USP but also for our staff. To continue to show care, empathy and value for their hard work
4. Our areas of focus
b. people
As with any business, our talented team is fundamental to our success. However in recent years, we’ve been heavily reflecting on and working towards how we can make Vox Pops a great place to work, by everyone’s consideration. Aside from the expected perks and benefits, our mission is to cultivate a workplace that is empathetic, kind, open, but most importantly, fun. We developed this in 2023 creating our Employee and Client Charters and over the last 12 months, we’ve continued to work on this in a variety of different ways.
What we’ve set out to do in the last 12 months
- Enable all staff their birthday off as an extra holiday date
- Send a small gift for all staff on their work anniversary
- Prioritise a strong work-life balance, with TOIL generated on long days of work
- Increase group training opportunities for all staff
- Create an internal mentoring program for monthly, private discussions about career progression
- Change the way we deal with internal conflict, with support from external resources
- Introduce a yearly pay review for all staff
- Offer annual flu jabs
What we’re planning next
- Create a clear training plan for all staff, with dedicated time to work on this
- Review overall staff Perks & Benefits to make them easy to find and read
- Increase opportunities for staff passion projects
- Review the office environment to breed creativity and forward thinking
- Celebrate more staff successes throughout the year
- Become an Accredited Living Wage Employer
- Increase our staff satisfaction score by pushing all areas of the business
- Solidify 1x team social per quarter
10x
10x
Birthdays off enjoyed
Work anniversaries celebrated
Secret santa gifts shared
– Birthdays off enjoyed
– Work anniversaries celebrated
– Secret santa gifts shared
4. Our areas of focus
c. communities
c. communities
Building a service based organisation, we’re often putting ourselves out there; creating connections and building relationships. But sometimes the last place we look is our own frontyard.
This year we have made improvements, pivoting to a ‘giving back’ culture, which started from the top. As an organisation, we held a Macmillan coffee morning raising a record £350. We have also had the pleasure of supporting 18 other charities and not-for-profits in various ways, with 5 of them being entirely new connections we plan to support moving forwards in whatever way we can. We’re proud that our staff have also supported multiple causes through video production expertise, donations and financially giving outside of work.
Macmillan coffee morning, 17.09.24
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What we’ve set out to do in the last 12 months
- Support a great number of charities; either creating free video content, heavily discounted video content or financially supported
- Support other B-Corps with discounted video content
- Connect and create relationships with local charities
- Nurture a ‘giving back’ culture, to encourage staff to think about other ways to support charities and the community
- Donate old technologies and used (but useful) production items to local charity shops where appropriate
Vox Pops has always been a generous supporter of charities, nation-wide and local. Firmly believing that there’s more than one way to assist our charity partners to create real impact.
Diane Earnshaw
Founder & Director, Vox Pops International
What we’re planning next
- Create further partnerships with charities to produce a greater amount of free or subsidised videos than we did in 2024
- Continue our charity fundraising, donating more financially
- Create further partnerships to support other B-Corps where possible than what we did in 2024
- Review our volunteering policy
- Look into internships to see whether it’s viable for VPI to offer internships
4. Our areas of focus
d. environment
d. environment
As we work closely with climate focused organisations, we naturally often reflect upon our own policies in terms of achievements working towards Net Zero. And safe to say there are plenty of areas for us to improve on. There is the difficult nature of our current office location being in a serviced office where a lot of decision making is not in our control, however from discussions with other organisations in our industry, there are in fact many areas where we can pivot to become even more environmentally conscious.
What we’ve set out to do in the last 12 months
- Use of local freelancers internationally and domestic, to avoid flights or long travel where possible
- Partnership with Wonky Pods to source sustainable coffee for the office
- Use low emission rental vehicles where needed rather than personal high emission vehicles
- Purchase used or upcycled technology where possible
- Continue to recycle batteries, old technology and other media
What we’re planning next
- Track our carbon emissions and partner with an external organisation to aid us in offsetting what we produce
- Build on our pool of local talent, reducing the need for crews to drive or fly to locations for projects
- Review our recycling policy, regarding batteries and old equipment
- Regard the energy efficiency of products when needing to purchase technology
- Produce more ‘environment education’ video content
4. Our areas of focus
e. clients
What drives us as an organisation is supporting our clients however we can, whether that’s; obtaining feedback on products and services, emotional storytelling of colleagues and customers experiences, video education, or everything else in between. We take pride in our communication and relationship building, but at the end of the day, we want to give our clients the best possible service, no matter how much money is involved.
Over 50%
Over 50%
of our business comes from repeat clients, with some who we’ve worked with for over 5 years, including:
Who we work with
What they say about us
“Fantastic work, speedy delivery, flexible approach to a really challenging brief. Excellent work all round from VPI.” – Sky
“Extremely organised, efficient and professional. A pleasure to work with. I wish all agencies were this great!” – Visit Britain
“This project was absolutely seamless – quick, well organised, and communication was seamless. The team was able to identify key themes in our footage, and assemble an amazing final product!” – Unilever
“The team were all fantastic – very efficient and helpful. We’re absolutely thrilled with the end result!” – Mind
What we’re planning next
- Develop our web technologies for a smoother project start to finish
- Grow our client base through innovation and new technologies
- Retain our clients through unparalleled creativity, quality, communication, and value
- Continue to offer insights to our clients, through events and in-person best practice sessions
- Advocate for more socially and environmentally responsible work
5. what’s next
Thank you for taking the time to read our first B Corp impact report
Being a B Corp organisation means a lot to every single member of the VPI team since becoming certified. We absolutely couldn’t have achieved everything we have done in the last 12 months if it wasn’t for all our suppliers, our wonderful clients and, of course, our team, so thank you.
The last 12 months is only the beginning of our B Corp journey and we plan to hit the ground running, going into 2025. We are committed to making a difference.
Do you have our own impactful project you need support with?
If you have an idea, cause or project, that you need help with to create a positive change, please contact us at enquiry@voxpops.com for help in making your vision come to life.
Talk to us about your next project
Whether you use video all the time or this is your first project, get in touch to find out how you can bring your messages to life, engage your audience, and make a lasting impact.
