B Corp in Practice: Beyond the Badge

An Interview with Paul Dutnall, CEO & Ana Bernardo, Head of Operations

As part of B Corp Month, we brought together Paul and Ana to share their perspective on what being a B Corp truly means at Work.Life – from how fundamental values drive long-term vision, to how being a B Corp influences the day-to-day across our spaces.

Tell us a bit about Work.Life and what makes it stand out from other co-working and flexible office spaces in London?

Paul:
From Day one, Work.Life has been about creating spaces where people genuinely want to work. Not just aesthetically pleasing offices, but environments that feel human, supportive and community-led. We’ve always believed work should fit around people’s lives, not the other way around, and that philosophy still drives how we grow.

Ana:
And for me, what makes us stand out is how hands-on we are. Our teams are on site, they know our members by name, and they really care about the experience they’re creating. The spaces feel calm and well looked after because they are. That human touch is what keeps members with us for years.

What motivated Work.Life to pursue B Corp certification?

Paul:
It started as a reflection exercise in 2019. We were asking ourselves what we stood for as a business. B Corp felt aligned with our values – community, fairness, responsibility. And it offered a framework to hold ourselves accountable as we scaled.

Ana:
Yes, it initially began as part of a brand exercise, but it quickly became much more than that. B Corp requires recertification every three years, which forces you to keep improving. The real work was embedding the values into our systems, decision-making and daily operations.

Can you share your B Impact Assessment score and where you performed strongest?

Ana:
We scored 98.7 in our latest recertification, which we’re incredibly proud of. It places us as one of the highest-scoring business in our industry for our size. We first scored 83.2, so that progress reflects a real collective effort.

Our strongest categories were Workers, Community and Governance. That’s where we’ve consistently invested energy – supporting our teams, showing up in our local neighbourhoods, and building transparent leadership systems.

Recertification creates discipline. We’re constantly reviewing progress – tracking energy use, waste, supplier impact and social metrics. Our next certification will be against new B Corp criteria, which we’ve been preparing for over the past two years.

Paul:
The score matters, of course, but what matters more is how we achieved it. It represents years of building better habits, clearer accountability, and long-term thinking into the business. 

What does being a B Corp actually mean in day-to-day terms?

Paul:
The score matters, It means we consider impact alongside profit. Decisions aren’t just about growth or efficiency – they’re about people, communities and the long-term health of the business.

Ana:
And practically, it shows up in the fundamentals: we’re a London Living Wage employer, we invest in team benefits and development, and we actively work to improve diversity across the business.

It also influences how we run our buildings – recycling programmes, working closely with landlords to improve energy efficiency, and building out our Net Zero strategy.

But beyond individual initiatives, it’s about mindset. Sustainability isn’t bolted on – it’s part of how we operate.

From an Operations perspective, how does B Corp shift decision-making?

Ana:
It changes the lens you use. Instead of looking at cost, speed or convenience in isolation, you weigh the wider impact. Sometimes that means investing more upfront, perhaps in systems or suppliers, but doing so with long-term resilience in mind.

It also means focusing on root causes rather than constantly firefighting symptoms. Over time, that makes operations stronger and more joined-up.

Paul:
And culturally, it gives clarity. When teams understand the ‘why’ behind decisions, they’re more engaged and more empowered. It’s not about grand gestures. It’s about embedding principles so deeply that they become part of the operating system.

How do you ensure sustainability isn’t just a head office strategy?

Ana:
Participation is key. If teams and members aren’t involved, it’s not working.

So we run practical engagement initiatives – recycling competitions, space-level challenges, so impact feels visible and tangible. We also now have over 30 B Corps based in our spaces, and we’ve created peer support groups so they can share learning.

Paul:
Our members hold us accountable, which is a good thing. They ask for transparency and data – and that pushes us to improve. That two-way pressure keeps sustainability alive.

B Corp places strong emphasis on workers and community. How do you protect culture as you scale?

Paul:
Culture will always evolve as a business grows; that’s natural. The real risk isn’t evolution, it’s losing clarity. For us, protecting culture means being clear about our values and building systems that reinforce them.

Ana:
Operationally, that shows up in hiring, onboarding, leadership training and how decisions are made on site. B Corp gives us a framework to ensure culture doesn’t become accidental as we scale.

How do you avoid B Corp becoming just a badge?

Paul:
You don’t “solve” it once. There are periods where commercial priorities take focus; that’s reality. But if you’ve built strong foundations, the principles keep running in the background.

Ana:
Exactly. Systems and behaviours stay embedded even when momentum slows. That’s what makes it operational, not symbolic.

How do your members benefit from your B Corp status?

Ana:
Many members are on their own impact journeys. So we’ve built a data-sharing system that shows their share of utilities and carbon footprint based on their membership and space. That makes reporting practical and useful.

We also run panel discussions and peer groups to encourage shared learning and collaboration.

Paul:
And they benefit from spaces run with long-term care and responsibility, even if they don’t consciously think about B Corp.

And finally when someone walks into a Work.Life space, what do you hope they feel?

Paul:
That this is a place designed with intention – where work feels balanced and community-driven.

Ana:
I’d hope they feel looked after and that they belong. That the space feels welcoming, the team feels genuine, and there’s a sense that people care. Because we do.

At Work.Life, B Corp isn’t a label – it’s a lens. And as both Paul and Ana make clear, it continues to shape how the business grows, operates and serves its community every day.