Being the company to be proud of
27th of December 2021 ( Aurora category)
Being the company to be proud of is what Aurora continually strives to be. Simple.
Achieving Great Results
The Right Thing & The Right Stuff
Most companies try to retro-fit 'Doing the Right Thing' into their business model as an after-thought. Unless done right, this approach often means that "Doing the Right Thing" becomes an extra burden, & an inefficient distraction away from their core business.
By contrast, Aurora's starting point was a clear mission to make a difference, by supporting communities, saving lives, & revolutionising fundraising for honourable causes, so "Doing the Right Thing" was woven into every fabric of Aurora's existence from the very start.
Woven throughout the Enterprise
Having the right clear purpose, gives direction, but doesn't describe the journey. We are not doing what we are doing to gain publicity or kudos, but instead because it is what we collectively see as the right way forward.
Doing the right thing creating win-win decisions is only possible by only working with people you have 'The Right Stuff': That overwhelming desire to achieve great things, with a drive to make a difference.
We all change the world, so why not drive all change towards good.
Living By Example
Many enterprises have good intentions, albeit many for the wrong reasons. We believe in transparency. Our reasons for consideration some of these points, may not always be what you think, and we have attempted to explain just some of our reasons below, making 'doing the right thing' the very essence of Aurora Retail.
We also know that we cannot please everyone. By making all that we do both open & transparent, this may impact others who seek to take advantage of those who are not 'in the know'. We also recognise that there are conflicting view on what defines the right thing, especially when we talk about self-sufficiency, collective contribution, and sharing a vision.
Since Aurora was first born in early 2016, we have continued to evolve, to reflect what is important to us all, while also becoming a viable business, with a range of products, services & other initiatives to support making a difference, supporting people with 'The Right Stuff' - potential, passion, & practicality - who might otherwise be overlooked.
People:
The Right Stuff - Seeking superpowers in Unusual Places
"What value do you add?". That's the question we should always be asking ourselves. We see potential in everyone. However potential is not enough. 'The "Right Stuff" is a combination of determination, pride in quality, lateral thinking, flexible, adaptable, & keenness to get 'stuck in' with a constant eye on efficiency. If you're the sort of person who is determined to get results, & wants to make a real difference in the world, then get in touch!
Genuine Lateral Thinking
How many companies do we hear about who say that they want their employees to think 'outside the box', & yet they restrict their employees to fall in line with their ways of working? Surely this is a conflict of instructions. Einstein famously said that the definition of insanity was to do the same things again & again, expecting different results. How can you truly expect different results without encouraging autonomous thinking & openness in an environment devoid of repercussions for those that try?
Round Peg. No Hole
We genuinely want there to be 'no box', so there is nothing to think inside or outside of. Why create unnecessary boundaries.
Forget people being round pegs, trying to fit into square holes, masking their true selves, & living exhausting lives. It's like driving with the accelerator & brake on at the same time.
At Aurora, it's full-speed all the way, where people are rewarded for being themselves, expressing their genuine nature, with a zero tolerance for malicious abuse.
Natural Inclusion through Values Profiling
Talent is a reflection of aptitude to gain selected skills, as opposed to simply spotlighting someone already with that skill.
Talent is everywhere, with the world's population containing a near infinite amount. Through careful supportive profiling, based on values, motivation, & determination, we can more easily find the right people who share our vision, & help them gain new skills by nurturing undiscovered talent. Therefore screening is not just focused on the value of current capability, but instead future potential of candidates who truly share our passion & drive.
No place for Labels in Pure Business
For a few moments, let us set aside our mission for positive change, & simply consider the needs of a business. The cold hard fact is that business success requires results. So if someone can produce the right quality & quantity of work, what else should a business be focused on? Put bluntly, we fail to see the relevance of labels like sex, race, religion, physical variations, or perceive physical or mental 'challenges' as a barriers. Why should anything else matter, if they share Aurora's vision & they deliver results?
The Right Stuff
Aurora is a place to grow, but only if you have 'The Right Stuff'. It's about potential, passion & practicality, as opposed to just qualifications & experience. We're also exceptionally good at finding people with 'The Right Stuff' in places that others fail to look.
Ticking Boxes
Aurora is a meritocracy, pure & simple, with the ability to bring in candidates with a view to growing their value to the business
We're not interested in proving how we meet 'life choice' quotas, or have 'the most diverse team photos', but instead want the right team that produces the best results, & enables us to make the most positive change. We're solely interested in engaging passionate people who share our values, vision & drive for effectively achieving global positive change, supporting communities, saving lives, & encouraging successful enterprises.
Soft Touch
Being the place that people want to work doesn't mean that it is a free ride for someone who is not willing to put in the right effort & not generate the right results. We want to find the right people who want to help Aurora grow. Put simply, there are no barriers for those with 'The Right Stuff' who are determined to help Aurora make a real difference.
Guidelines
There is no 'Box', but there are some guidelines:
Aurora is a social enterprise, not a charity for pure creativity, so there have to be some guidelines if creativity is to support our vision. Therefore, we encourage, once induced, everyone to become self-sufficient, efficient, & proficient, while considering the best interests of Aurora & it's many customers, but with a supportive network, so no-one is left in the dark.
• Self-Sufficient: If Aurora is to make a real difference in the world, it is important to avoid negatively impacting others, or carrying 'dead weight' that doesn't generate results. Everything within Aurora needs to work together to help gain 'value', whether in terms of positive difference, the reach it achieves, or the revenue that it brings. To do this, everyone needs to self sufficient, able to provide a clear 'return on investment' to make their existence in Aurora worthwhile. If we cannot look after ourselves, then we will be a drain to others. This allows us to collectively be greater than the sum of our parts. Autonomy is encouraged, but only once the picture is fully understood. Until then, the right type of support must be provided to enable reaching the expected standard for contribution.
• Efficient: Being efficient at Aurora is achieved by looking at all waste, & focusing on the effective use of time and assets available. It is about looking for collaborative opportunities where one step forward can be made in several places at the same time, such as with our Commercial Smart Tags, where activities in one industry, such as property management, can also further ,other areas such as care homes, or construction. In fact, our compliance focused inventory management features have been re-purposed for a wide range of industry sectors, allowing clever design to benefit multiple customers. As one of our partners frequently says "Any fool can spend money. Making it, takes far more skill". We find this to be true, focused on any place where money is spent, & where the benefit of this investment is not fully maximised. The only way that Aurora can operate on tight margins, to bring overwhelming value to everyone we interact with, is to have a very tight understanding of our vision, & just how to be as effective & efficient as possible.
• Proficient: We believe that virtually any skill can be learned, but not everyone has 'The Right Stuff'. Aurora wants to be the place where the right people can grow to meet their potential, as opposed to seeking people already demonstrating skills, & then trying to restrict them. We believe in personal evolution. This can be seen with our partner programme to encourage & reward those who create collaborative opportunities, in line with our shared values & beliefs.
The value of Supportive Profiling
What career would you choose if they all paid the same? Is the thought of being part of Aurora's vision something you find uplifting? Doing something we enjoy does not feel like work, and can often leave us feeling more rewarded & more energetic. This is what we want to achieve. Can you imagine how incredible it would be if each work-day felt like that? Our continuous profiling is designing to help find the people who will be rewarded by doing what we do, & ensure that they are recognised & rewarded for the value they bring.
Uncovering Super-Powers
Through profiling we understand what motivates each of us & why, & helps ensure that people are in the right roles to bring the right results for us all. Using supportive profiling, coaching, & mentoring techniques we help find people's super-powers, such as their perceptive capabilities, design skills, communication skills, testing skills, business development skills, & much more. Therefore what some may see a challenge, we often see the advantage if used in just the right way. For example, the autistic mindset digests information in larger sized chunks, meaning that once any initial challenge in comprehension is overcome, the individual usually becomes far quicker than someone with a neruro-typical mindset. Therefore the individual may suit a structured testing role where clear defined answers are expected, & can be easily documented. Similarly, feedback from someone with visual impairment who may see a website differently, can be invaluable for helping simplify a user interface & help make it far more intuitive, providing a powerful insight into what aspects work, and what aspects do not. Aurora is about working to our strengths, & it is important to make sure that the right people get the right opportunities for their superpowers to shine.
Evolution
We all mature with time, and we also recognise that people evolve at different rates, in different directions, or as a consequence of unexpected life circumstances. This may create startling direction changes. Ongoing profiling enables Aurora to continue to align the right people with the most suited activities to support their growth, while helping Aurora to grow.
Going our way?
Time with Aurora has to be mutually beneficial for everyone. We believe it is important to understand where we are each going, & Aurora is about accompanying people on their journey, & not trying to hold them back on ours.
We cannot expect Aurora's vision, to be enough to always meet people's needs. Some people may no-doubt outgrow Aurora, as they find their niche, & wish to explore other opportunities.
Perhaps some people may have no desire to learn or develop beyond a specified limit, or simply have no wish to evolve in the direction that Aurora may ask from them.
Those that really understand Aurora's mission will see that our 'perpetual profiling' approach is like a regular service & tune-up on an automobile, to make sure that it is functioning well, with all parts continually evolving to become more & more efficient, driving towards a common shared goal. It's important to us that we grow together with those that want to.
With the right people, with 'The Right Stuff', effectively doing what they know is the right thing, the result is to achieve great progress, & help people on their journeys through life.
Working Day
Long gone are the days of the majority of careers meaning being onsite & working 9-5, barely seeing daylight. With better tools & automation, the employment industry has evolved far in the last decade, to enable the vast majority of roles to be carried out remotely, often at hours that suit them, in terms of both times, & duration. Aurora is determined to be flexible, as long as the right results are met.
Results
As long as results & quality are achieved at the right level, it doesn't matter how or where the work is done, & believe that trusting our people is key to achieving this. As a result, as long as the role allows, contributors can choose what hours of day or night, and from what location to work, & build a personalised timetable around their personal obligations. With results being achieve, this level of flexibility and autonomy allows Aurora to support the right people, & helping them live a better quality of life.
Work Life Balance
Including the output of the 2010 study of Richard Scott on #WorkLifeBalance (Or #WorkLifeEffectiveness as prefers), we have included the importance of demarkation of work & non-work activities, as well as the right level of support by those within Aurora.
Performance Results through agreed, comparative & transparent KPI metrics
Looking at a range of statistics, we can all see results that each individual brings. We can also see how they impact on the statistics of others. This allows us to build a fluid team, with near guaranteed results, meaning that every is justifying their existence, and everyone's roles & responsibilities continually evolve to meet the needs of Aurora. This creates opportunities for everyone.
Aurora can't afford to engage people who don't produce results, so agreement, & ongoing monitoring of KPIs as part of the profiling process will show clearly the value we each bring.
Environment & Fair Practice: Supporting B-Corp & Environmental Values
B-Corp, Environmental Initiatives, UN Global Goals, & Carbon Net Zero
As a Social Enterprise, Aurora wants to ensure that the only impacts we make on the planet are good ones.
We also believe in setting our standards high. As such, in addition to being aligned with UN Global Sustainable Development Goals, Aurora is applying to become a B-Corp; an enterprise verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
This is not going to be an easy challenge, & is one we will not take lightly!
We have long attempted to minimise our impact. For example, Aurora's ICE smart tags are shipped with minimalist bio-degradable packaging, & set-up instructions printed on a postcard also doubling as the address label. As part of our Net Zero plans, aligned with being a B-Corp, we will also be looking at the efforts made by all of our suppliers, as well as ourselves.
Community
Aurora was started with community in mind. With a range of initiatives, in particular the deals platform, and the life saving smart wearables, Aurora is determined to bring greater value to owners of Aurora's ICE Smart-wearables, so the Aurora platform was enhanced to provide a business and charity directory, so people could discover what was in their area. By integrating deals that support the charities of the customer's choice, Aurora is able to make a collective difference on what the community feels is important.
Initiatives greater than the sum of their parts
We've long believed that the results of collaborative win-win-win situations can become greater than the sum of parts, such as taking 2+2 to find ways to make +22.
Our deals platform allows business directory users to offer great deals to the community, with at least 5% from each deal going to charities & non-profits in our Good Cause directory. Our Smart Tags work with our platform across a range of industries, from the care sector to construction, from events management to estate agency, or from facilities management to fire safety. Whether it's a restaurant using our tags to help customers to order more easily, or in conjunction with the deals platform, local businesses can find countless uses for Aurora's initiatives with the right forward vision. From membership services to Compliance reporting, the Aurora platform powers these initiatives to provide enabling technology to support enterprises, who can focus on what they do best.
The Future
We believe that Aurora's business model is designed as a win-win-win for everyone, with a growing range of initiatives that bring positive value to individuals, businesses, and good causes. Read about some of our initiatives.
