When we think of managing a business, it’s easy to consider our only operational responsibility the ability to keep operating into the future. Of course, this can help your employees retain a living, your shareholders (if you’re public and you have them to begin with) to get a return on investment, and of course, to make sure the value you deliver keeps on going.

But even moderate to small-sized businesses have responsibilities outside of this, as well. This can be obvious – for example, a restaurant has a responsibility to make sure they never give food poisoning to any one of their guests, and this is achieved through stringent compliance with health regulations and welcoming inspections – as well as going above and beyond the limit of the compliance required.

Yet ‘not poisoning our patrons’ is probably a low bar to aim for. Moreover, businesses also have wider responsibilities to those around them, as no enterprise operates in a vacuum. So – let’s consider what responsibilities you, as a business owner, may have, and how to ensure these are reliably met in good faith:

Responsibilities To Staff

When someone applies to work for our firm, they are offering their time, energies, skills, capabilities, and often the willingness to be uncomfortable, apply creativity or become an ambassador for your brand. Sure, you pay them reliably and they wouldn’t be here if you didn’t, but the truth is that they deserve to be treated correctly and to have their careers managed responsibly. Providing a safe, effective, zero-tolerance for harassment workplace that ensures regular training, skills development, equal opportunities, and internal promotions tends to retain top talent and helps companies win employer of the year awards.

Responsibilities To Patrons

Of course, a responsibility to our patrons by continuing to deliver value based on what you have to offer is important. But it’s also important to consider how you contribute to a given service or product lineage. Think of how some companies might focus on reducing packaging over time to become more sustainable. Designing a product so it can be recycled easily, or meet more essential priorities of your audience is also a fantastic idea that really does make a difference in the long run. Of course – just keeping your premises a safe place to occupy is an essential part of this, via lift maintenance and regular cleaning, for example.

Social & Ethical Responsibilities

Businesses have platforms of exposure, and this means they can work towards social or ethical causes they find most appropriate. A good example is how many companies decided to pull out of Russia in 2022, for obvious reasons not worth dwelling on here. Many firms making use of a market simply determined they couldn’t risk being associated with that. This is a major example but it goes to show the kind of market that can influence your own firm for the better – what does your business stand for? In some cases, businesses may focus on hiring a diverse team straight away or making sure essential areas of the market are served as a matter of course. Use your platform to your advantage – you may have more influence than you think.

With this advice, you’re sure to identify the right opportunities for your business going forward.