Responsible Employers Pay Attention To These 3 Things

Julie Starr • January 12, 2021



For businesses, it is no longer enough to have the best product on the market. Instead, what the discerning customer really wants is to be able to buy a product without feeling ethically compromised. What this means is that businesses need to be more responsible when it comes to issues of sustainability, health and safety, and ethics than ever before. A topic you can read more about in the post below. 

Sustainability of their business 

Businesses that want to be successful and responsible cannot ignore the importance of sustainability. Indeed, customers are becoming much more turned on to the current plight of the planet, and this means they increasingly want to work with businesses that are taking measures to reduce their environmental impact. 

With that in mind, there are many actions that your business needs to consider. These range from the more basic ones such as instituting an effective recycling policy for the office and any production facilities you have. While more advanced options include working to change how your product is made, packaged, or even delivered to reduce the amount of waste, pollution, and energy used. 

Health and safety at work 

A responsible employer will also pay attention to the health and safety of their employees and customers in their business. This means they will not only take steps that they need to make legally for health and safety but also go beyond this to create a safe workplace and as conducive to wellbeing as possible. 

Of course, the steps that each business should take will depend on the type of industry they are in and the risk they face. For example, in fields where employees often work at heights, the correct training, as well as the right safety gear, needs to be provided to ensure health and safety.

However, for industries where heavy machinery is regularly used such as manufacturing and construction, safety measures may include drug testing , thorough training, and the use of correct signage. All of which should ensure any accidents and risks are minimized. 

Financial accountability 

Financial accountability is also an important part of being a responsible employer. Of course, there are several aspects to this including making sure that your business’s bills are paid on time, and that you pay employees a living wage. 

Financial accountability also means managing your business in a financially responsible way. That means not putting all of your resources into risky things like an expansion that does not have a good chance of being successful, and so can put your employee’s jobs at risk. 

Another issue to consider is whether you are using your business money to fund ethical and sustainable investments. Whether that means buying supplies from ethical sources that do not use child labor or sweatshops or using sustainable sources that create products from materials grown in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment. 

Additionally, as many businesses reinvest their profits in the financial market, choosing stock market investments that follow a strict code or promote environmental awareness is essential if they are to be responsible for their actions.

By Julie Starr July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.
By Julie Starr July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.