Posted 20th March 2020
Social Value Matters now more than ever!
In these uncertain times, it is easy to become focused on fear and worry and is, of course, understandable that many organisations are focusing on operational priorities at this moment. However, this does not mean that social value should be sidelined if anything it shows that social value is more important than ever.
COVID-19 is having and will continue to have, a detrimental impact on those most vulnerable in society. The homeless, refugees, those with disabilities and underlying health issues, those in unstable work and on zero-hour contracts, those experiencing pension poverty – these are the people (amongst many others) that this virus will affect first and worst, and we cannot ignore the underlying issue of inequality that causes these groups to be disproportionately affected.
Social Value International’s mission is to change the way the world accounts for value so that we can reduce inequality, reduce environmental degradation and improve wellbeing. By accounting for a wider sense of value, and really understanding what matters to people and communities we can allocate resources differently and tackle the huge social and environmental justice issues of our time.
That is why, despite all the challenges we face at the moment, social value must not fall off the agenda. It is through social value that we can ensure the vulnerable within our society are protected. Social value allows us to change our behaviour and work together in a way that protects workers’ rights, prioritises people’s mental and physical wellbeing, and puts what is important to us at the centre of decision making.
This is why, Social Value International as decided to work with all of our affiliate networks across the globe, to develop the Social Value Always Matters Interview series. This series will feature interviews with individuals from across the world, representing different sectors and groups, all explaining how and why social value is important to them.
These interviews are available to listen to at our YouTube channel and new interviews will be added every couple of days!
Watch our first episode with Alan Southern:
If you are interested in being involved with this series, please do get in touch with us at [email protected]