For over seven years, I've been fortunate enough to lead an amazing social enterprise in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, a low income community with highly complex socio-economic challenges.
Potluck Café Society, which owns and operates Potluck Café and Catering, has been a force in building a more resilient, just, and inclusive community in the DTES. Creating jobs for people facing barriers and improving access to healthy food through an innovative and entrepreneurial approach demands that we challenge the usual way of doing business.
To feature our own success alongside other social entrepreneurs in institute B's film "Not Business as Usual" and inspire other entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo has been an incredible opportunity.
"Not Business as Usual" captures the paradigm shift in business from single-minded shareholder profit to profit plus much more, and seeks and finds the common thread among a group of very distinct businesses and voices.
Business can be profitable without compromising principle and people. Putting people, both inside and outside of the business, at the core of business decisions is a unifying theme. Businesses that respect and support the needs of the people who run them are just stronger businesses.
At Potluck, we understand both the social value and business case for supporting our people in the workplace, especially those facing barriers. A recent study by Ernst and Young demonstrated that there are significant savings to social and health services when people facing barriers are working. High staff retention and low turnover are the envy of any business, especially those in the hospitality industry.
Potluck has shown great success in keeping people working over the long term. Inadequate housing and mental health challenges are just some of the barriers to success on the job. Potluck supports our own workers by investing in an employment support worker who proactively connects our staff to stable housing. In our experience, it's unrealistic for someone to maintain a stable job if their housing is uncertain, unsafe, or unaffordable. So as an employer, it's critical we address the issue of housing as a barrier to employment -- especially in Vancouver, which is home to some of the most valuable real estate in the world.
Potluck also accommodates the needs of persons with disabilities such as mental illness through flexible work schedules and reduced hours that match an individual's capacity. This too can change from week to week or season to season. The idea that the only work week is a 40-hour week is something that Potluck and other social enterprises have been challenging for years. Similarly, we consciously employ a group of people who together can achieve a full time work week through the combination of each of their hours.
Over the years, Potluck has acquired many best practices for employment support and recently expanded our Recipes for Success initiative to support other businesses in becoming even more supportive employers.
Additionally, the markets which businesses serve are frequently conceptualized as anonymous and faceless. The reality is that these markets are in fact comprised of people. As people and the markets they comprise continue to question the status quo and seek more benefit for their buck to the communities in which they live, businesses who serve people best will thrive.
Business is competitive, and the growth of businesses that seek to make a positive social or environmental impact demonstrates a distinct competitive advantage. For Potluck, and any other business, we understand the importance of customer loyalty. In our case, loyalty to our business is strengthened because of our deep community impact.
People, loyal staff, and loyal customers are at the heart of our success.