4 Day Week

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An Ode to TBL

I came across TBL or the triple bottom line principle a few years ago. TBL is an accounting framework that addresses three pillars to measure performance: social, environmental and financial. Fresh into my entrepreneurial journey I encountered a seasoned investor that sought to bring many entrepreneurs together under one umbrella. The investor’s vision of a private entity in service of people, planet and profit intrigued me greatly.

This did not turn out as I had intended. I would eventually come to learn that the almost altruistic goal of meeting these ideals, comes at a cost. Another lesson here is that those of us used to raising millions in investment may not have the purest intentions when it comes to people and the planet. Profit is important of course; a universal language spoken by all nations of Earth.

Myself and fellow 4 Day Week SA pioneer pilot participants had the great honour of meeting Dr. Dale Whelehan last week. The new CEO of 4 Day Week Global said a lot that made me hearken back to those early days of entrepreneurship. Not so much the sly tactics employed, but rather the hope that the TBL principle offered. It’s reassuring to know that we have a leader dedicated to holding companies accountable in relation to their influence on people, planet and profit.

The triple bottom line sounds like a utopian ideal. Many companies (if not all) have yet to balance this equation that advocates for sustainability. Purely profit-driven entities have already proven to be destructive to our way of living, gradually eroding the moral fabric of society. Though so much damage has already been done, I believe that this new era will herald a time where the focus shifts back to planet Earth and those of us who live on it.

4 Day Week SA, INFJ, dear INFJ, 4 Day Workweek, 4 Day Week, Future Of Work, Entrepreneurship, Lead With Empathy, South Africa’s Digital Revolution, Work Time Reduction, Reduced Workweek Revolution, Wellbeing In The Workplace, Proudly South African

David-John Wayne Bailey is an INFJ from Cape Town, a proud pioneer pilot participant of 4 Day Week SA and an advocate of a four-day week for everyone working in South Africa.