A few weeks ago, we announced that we are a certified B Corporation. Since then, we’ve shared more about our certification journey and what it means, and thank you to everyone who’s commented and congratulated us. But we thought it was important to share why we decided that holding B Corp status was so important – so here it is. Why people, transparency and honesty are part of Hour Hand’s DNA and why that guided us towards becoming a B Corp.

What is B Corp certification – a very quick reminder

B Corp certification is an independent stamp of approval for businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. The certificate is issued after a rigorous process by B Lab, a global non-profit.

The process to become certified entails supplying evidence that is rigorously tested and verified. It’s all too easy to claim to be something, but far more meaningful to deliver evidence that proves it.

Why we were motivated to become B Corp certified

When Christine founded Hour Hands, she didn’t set out to be an outsourced bookkeeping and PA firm that just happened to be a ‘good’ company. She wanted to be a company that focused on clients, community, wellbeing and the environment as much as it did on profits.

In reality, this meant being honest even when it felt uncomfortable or was inconvenient. It meant paying and treating people fairly, and it meant thinking about the communities we work in as well as our clients. None of this was written down as a grand mission statement; it was simply how she wanted to work. This matches the B Corp. philosophy so becoming accredited by the independent B Lab team was an obvious next step for us – to prove to ourselves and to our clients that we do as we say.

Putting people first: our team and our clients

This is what putting people first means to us – creating human-centric opportunities. Considering each individual team member as a human is vital. By this, we mean considering their level of pay based on their individual experience and skills, ensuring that we consider each person’s wellbeing at work and in their outside work lives, and offering personal development as part of the job, not as a perk. We know that great work comes from people who feel valued, trusted and able to grow and who are seen as unique individuals with their own attributes and challenges.

Considering our clients as humans matters too. It means that we pay attention to the person behind the business. Behind every set of accounts or diary, is someone who has taken a risk, works long hours and worries about cash flow – just like us! Our mission is to make our client’s lives easier by being clear when we communicate, straightforward about what we can and can’t do, and willing to pick up the phone to discuss things, if this is needed. And this work is done by people who feel recognised and valued.

Transparency and accountability matter more when you handle other people’s money

“The foundation stone of Hour Hands is trust” Christine Firth, Founder of Hour Hands

When you hand over your bookkeeping or administration to us, you’re sharing some of the most sensitive information your business has, from your finances to your bank details, your payroll and your future plans. You’re relying on us to get it right and to tell you immediately when something is wrong.

In a finance-adjacent business such as ours, we cannot have any lapses in honesty or trust. If we ever give our client a vague answer, or if we miss a deadline, it can become a real problem for the people who depend on us. And importantly, it undermines their trust in us. That’s why transparency is non-negotiable in our world.

B Corp certification supports what we tell our clients. When we say we’re trustworthy, transparent and ethical, we have an independent confirmation of this from B Lab, the owners of B Corp, who assessed how we run our business, looking at governance, how we treat our team and our impact on the community and the environment. They verified our evidence.

This independent verification is key otherwise our stated ‘values’ are just words. Having someone outside the business check that we really perform with integrity, and who will continue to check on us, means that everyone can rely on what we say. This adds a layer of reassurance for our clients, attracts more people to our team, and it gives us a process to spot any gaps and keep improving.

What being B Corp. certified means to Christine

“It feels really natural. It fits perfectly with who we are.” Our founder, Christine, explains. “The certification is a rigorous, independent assessment of how a business treats its people, its community and the world around it. For us, it didn’t feel like a stretch. It felt like a natural reflection of the values we’ve held from the start.

As a female-led business, we’re proud to support flexible working and to champion women returning to the workplace. B Corp simply gives independent weight to the way we already choose to work. If you’d like to work with a values-led bookkeeping and business support team, we’d love to talk.”

You can listen to Christine talking about this here.

What’s next for Hour Hands?

We’re glad you asked! Of course, we want to maintain our B Corp. status – that’s vitally important – so we will keep working on our next set of evidence ready for our annual review. We will continue to support women returning to the workforce, offering them the training and working hours they deserve, ensuring balance and wellbeing in the office and within their personal lives. And we will continue promoting and sponsoring some great charities and always, always be transparent in work with our clients.

If you want to work with a company that lives their values or you’d like to learn more about Hour Hands and our services, about being a B Corp UK or to discuss the possibility of outsourcing some of your bookkeeping and admin tasks to us, let us know. We’re happy to share some of our numerous testimonials, chat over a coffee, and create a business service package that works well for you.