Candidates value the social impact you’re making

Your website, social media and marketing activity must play many roles, primarily it needs to demonstrate to potential clients that you have the expertise to support them – the industry knowledge and the technical capability. They’re also crucial tools though when it comes to a candidate’s first impression of your business – Who are you? What is your company culture like? Does it look like a company they want to join? Increasing importance is being put on social value and the initiatives companies are involved with, because candidates want to trust they are applying to work in a responsible company that prioritises social progress.

Promoting your approach to social value

Make sure your marketing and recruitment campaigns highlight the advances you’re making as a business and crucially the opportunities for employees to get involved. Make sure key information is included in job adverts and your talent acquisition team or recruitment partners are sharing highlights with candidates during the recruitment stage. Reflect on them during job interviews and initiate a conversation to gauge their interest in participating in programmes you are part of.

Be proud of the progress you’re making, whether it’s small steps or significant achievements, it all demonstrates to candidates that you are committed to social value and see its significance. If you haven’t got a social value strategy then consider creating one, focusing on key areas that are important to your business, such as creating working groups or investing in apprenticeships and STEM outreach work. Ask your clients what they are doing and what they would find most valuable from a supplier.

Reporting on our own social value progress

Across the NRL Group, advancing our social impact plans are just as important to us as our financial goals. We were delighted to publish our second social value report in February that reflects on the progress we made in 2025. Social value has been an important part of our business for many years, and Egremont Director Rebecca Graves discusses the recent report,

“Colleagues across NRL take immense pride in publishing our social value report each year, because it’s so rewarding to see the collective progress we have made in key areas that are important to us including our communities, people and the planet. One of the personal highlights for me last year was the creation of our She Leads mentor programme in Cumbria, that I know has been hugely beneficial for our mentees and mentors. We’re now looking for participants to take part in our 2026 programme, and it’s incredible to be in this position.”

You can read the full April issue of in-Cumbria business magazine online.