Responsible Business Blogs | Business in the Community NI
  • 15 Dec 2023
    Social value and employing people with convictions – do they add up for business?

    by Kieran Harding, Managing Director, Business in the Community

  • 04 Oct 2023
    Supporting Education and Empowering Communities: Business in the Community Northern Ireland’s Volunteering Initiatives

    By Ciara Mulgrew, Programme Executive, Time to Programmes

  • 23 Aug 2023
    Join us for Sustainable September – a volunteering challenge for everyone in your business

    by Lauren Cunningham, Community Engagement Manager

  • 02 Mar 2023
    We have to do better to ensure young people have enough to eat

    By Kieran Harding, Managing Director, Business in the Community

  • 29 Nov 2022
    LifeSkills providing a fun and engaging resource for students

    Barclays LifeSkills, aims to help young people by providing the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to succeed, sharing tools, tips and resources in an interactive learning environment.

  • 18 Oct 2022
    Accountability, collaboration and listening to the next generation. How the responsible business network intends to stay fit for the future.  

    By Dr Lisa McIlvenna, Deputy Chief Executive, Business in the Community

  • 28 Sep 2022
    Plant-based events – stepping up to the plate for sustainability, or biting off more than we can chew?

    By Kieran Harding, Managing Director, Business in the Community

  • 20 Sep 2022
    Jamie hopes Ban the Box can help more people with criminal convictions change their lives

    By Andrew Maguire, Communications Officer, Business in the Community

  • 11 Jun 2022
    Business Action on Climate

    By Geraldine Noe, Head of Environment, Business in the Community

  • 14 Apr 2022
    Putting volunteering at the heart of business

    By Lauren Cunningham, Community Engagement Manager, Business in the Community

  • 12 Nov 2021
    Climate change is the defining crisis of our time on a global and national scale

    By Minister Edwin Poots, Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs

  • 29 Oct 2021
    Translink’s drive towards a cleaner greener future

    By Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive, Translink

  • 20 Oct 2021
    How do you turn climate anxiety into positive action – boosting inclusive growth and resilience for Northern Ireland?

    By Diane Emerson, Belfast Office Leader, Arup

  • 18 Oct 2021
    Maths – the marmite subject

    Maths Week Ireland is taking place from 16-24 October 2021, and for a lot of us – adults and children alike – Maths is one of those marmite subjects: you love it, or you hate it.

  • 01 Oct 2021
    Has your Business “COP”ped on yet? A Young Person’s Perspective

    My name is Emer Rafferty, an 18-year-old environmentalist from Ballymacnab in County Armagh.

  • 02 Jul 2021
    Rethinking Waste for a Zero-Carbon Society

    A thought leadership article from our latest member – RiverRidge

  • 25 May 2021
    Adapting our return to office to suit the future of work

    There is no denying that this last year has been challenging for businesses, and in particular how we have had to revaluate the ways in which we work.

  • 24 May 2021
    Digital trends are here to stay, but it’s important nobody is left behind

    As lockdown gradually eases, many of us still dread the thought of sitting through another Zoom or Teams call or attending another webinar.

  • 13 Apr 2021
    Recruit, retain and retrain – the need for business to support older employees

    There are more people over 50 in employment in the UK than ever before, and the employment rate of older people is on the increase.

  • 24 Mar 2021
    Belfast man and Power NI’s Director of Customer Solutions (NI), William Steele talks about the digital divide impacting today’s young people

    Everyone at Power NI is actively behind Business in the Community’s Digital Donations Appeal and we’re thrilled to be able to play our part with a £20K funding donation.

  • 04 Mar 2021
    Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are

    I’ve often read that quote, but never felt it would hit as close to home as it does right now.

  • 15 Dec 2020
    My experience as an employability mentor for the #WorkItOut programme

    My name is Carla Devine and I am the owner of Soul Coach and mentor for the #WorkItOut programme, a partnership between Business in the Community and First Housing.

  • 29 Oct 2020
    Financial wellbeing is not about the size of your pot of money; it’s what you do with it

    Financial Wellbeing is about making sure you can cover day-to-day expenses, plan for the future and cope with the unexpected, enabling you to do the most with what you have.

  • 27 Oct 2020
    EX-offenders: a common label for former convicts (former being operative word)

    So you may ask why I titled my blog as 'EX-offenders'...

  • 08 Oct 2020
    Can we Build Back Better? Yes. But will your organisation Build Back Responsibly?

    Building back responsibly won’t happen with just one person or one organisation, we need everyone, but it takes great leaders to inspire others into action.

  • 21 Aug 2020
    From strategic to reactive? What has COVID-19 meant for businesses’ engagement with the community?

    “Stick to your knitting!” The advice to stick to what I do best has been offered to me on several occasions in the past, often from much wiser people than I, who know when to adhere to ‘tried and tested’ and when to try something new. 

  • 20 Aug 2020
    Got your results? Now, what? #GSCEs and beyond

    It’s results day. I’m going to take a guess that for many of you the day itself and time leading up to it is not what you expected and we have coronavirus to thank for that.

  • 17 Aug 2020
    Education, Employment & COVID-19 – how responsible business can help the most vulnerable

    Last month was exam results month and what a hot topic.

  • 05 Jun 2020
    How business can use volunteering to build back better

    Business needs resilient and prosperous communities to succeed and grow. The two are intrinsically linked – it is where our employees come from, where our customers live, and it is the backdrop to our working lives.

  • 11 Mar 2020
    Ambitious Partnerships

    Business in the Community held a Charity and Business Partnership event on 27 February 2020.

  • 04 Feb 2020
    A gender-balanced workforce – how?

    By Joe O'Neill, Business in the Community Board Member and Chief Executive, Belfast Harbour Commissioners

  • 10 Jan 2020
    Ready and Waiting

    By John Healy, Vice President and Managing Director, Allstate NI; The Prince;s Ambassador for Northern Ireland and Board Member of Business in the Community Northern Ireland

  • 18 Nov 2019
    Good Wellbeing is Good for Business

    By Michael Graham, Board Member, Business in the Community and Executive Chair, GRAHAM

  • 06 Jun 2019
    Bringing new life to used packaging is top of our sustainability agenda

    By Zoran Bogdanovic, CEO, Coca-Cola HBC

  • 06 Jun 2019
    £2m National Lottery funding for older workers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

    The National Lottery Community Fund is investing more than £2 million of National Lottery funding on a project to support older people to remain in or return to work in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

  • 04 Jun 2019
    Whole Person, Whole Career

    By Mairead Meyer, Board Member, Business in the Community and Managing Director of Openreach in Northern Ireland

  • 13 Feb 2019
    Sustainability – are we on the right track?

    By Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive, Translink

  • 03 Jan 2019
    Let’s work together to ensure that no child is left behind

    By Moya Johnston, Chair, Business in the Community and Managing Director, Survitec

  • 11 Dec 2018
    Responsible Business Summit video

    Highlights from this year's Summit

  • 25 Jul 2018
    Inspiring the Green Entrepreneurs of the Future

    For the last 3 years Business in the Community has been involved in an ERASMUS+ funded education project which aims to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and commitment to build a more competitive low-carbon economy that makes efficient and sustainable use of resources, protects the environment, reduces emissions and prevents biodiversity loss.

  • 06 Jul 2018
    Plastic – is it always a problem?

    At the time of writing, the latest news includes the story of an enterprising South Wales-based firm about to open a dedicated paper straw production line in preparation for a proposed ban on plastic straws. The prominence of such stories (and the ban itself) owes much to the celebrated Blue Planet II, broadcasted late last year.

  • 27 Apr 2018
    The business case for volunteering

    Today (27 April) is take-over day for the Big Shops’ Showdown, a volunteer challenge run in partnership with Cancer Focus which utilises the business acumen, fundraising guile and goodwill of businesses. The aim of the challenge is for companies to compete against each other in the running of charity shops and, in doing so, raise funds for the charity.

  • 26 Apr 2018
    Why Poverty Matters

    Working age adults without children are now at a higher risk of poverty than 10 years ago and while living in a ‘workless’ household increases your risk of poverty by more than four times, across the UK, there has been a gradual shift towards in-work poverty.

  • 24 Apr 2018
    When nothing is sure, everything is possible

    At a global level, the fourth digital revolution is firmly here, and technology is continuing to disrupt traditional business models, whilst shaping the future of work and the skills that will be needed in the years to come.

  • 08 Mar 2018
    Digital Transformation – the four ingredients for success

    Over the last few years, digital transformation has been redefining the way organisations operate, giving rise to everything from new practices and processes to entirely new business models and revenue streams.

  • 28 Feb 2018
    The emergence of the Circular Office
  • 10 Oct 2017
    Being responsible in a digital world
  • 26 Jun 2017
    Digital Transformation – A Brave, New World?
  • 28 Apr 2017
    What does responsible business mean in an ‘exponential’ world?
  • 27 Apr 2017
    Can responsibility really be measured?
  • 26 Apr 2017
    Why access to employment is as important as access to the building
  • 25 Apr 2017
    Business holds the key to responsible leadership and a positive future
  • 24 Apr 2017
    Is it just semantics? Making Business Sense of Corporate Social Responsibility
  • 03 Apr 2017
    Leadership & Trust – who writes the rules?
  • 10 Mar 2017
    Do older workers respond positively to ‘Active Ageing’?
  • 11 Jan 2017
    What does Responsible Leadership mean in 2017? Good question.
  • 13 Dec 2016
    Were you one of our 20,000 Volunteers?
  • 24 Nov 2016
    Why are alcohol and the workplace the perfect mix?
  • 27 Oct 2016
    From care to where? Business holds a lifeline
  • 18 Oct 2016
    Race Equality Works for Northern Ireland
  • 12 Oct 2016
    Mental Health – employers, now is the time to take action
  • 06 Oct 2016
    Listening to our youth is the key to making Tomorrow’s World work
  • 28 Sep 2016
    Is age really just a number?
  • 22 Sep 2016
    Because helping each other is help for what matters
  • 13 Sep 2016
    Are you sitting a little too comfortably?
  • 31 Aug 2016
    A, B or O – what’s your type?
  • 24 Aug 2016
    Solving poverty is key to creating a more prosperous and productive Northern Ireland after Brexit
  • 17 Aug 2016
    What does Brexit mean for a circular economy?
  • 10 Aug 2016
    Is the quest to ‘catch ‘em all’ really worth it?
  • 04 Aug 2016
    Is breastfeeding “a one-woman job”?
  • 27 Jul 2016
    The Big Bad Corporation Tax Debate
  • 21 Jul 2016
    Mind over matter: why mental health has become a key business issue
  • 14 Jul 2016
    NI workforce urged to participate in Employee Mental Wellbeing Survey
  • 07 Jul 2016
    Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders – is our game plan right?
  • 29 Jun 2016
    Business must be part of the post-BRexit solution
  • 23 Jun 2016
    How can you help your business take off?
  • 16 Jun 2016
    What does Brexit do for sustainability?
  • 09 Jun 2016
    A toast to responsible businesses everywhere
  • 01 Jun 2016
    Is Volunteering changing face?
  • 08 Oct 2015
    Business in the Community’s CR Report
  • 01 Jul 2015
    Drink Work & Me – what’s it all about?