Supporting WJS Canada’s B Corp Journey from Certification to Recertification

WJS Canada is an employee-owned company that provides health and social care services to children, youth, adults and families facing difficulties. They are licensed by the province and are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), the Canadian Accreditation Council (CAC), and Creating Excellence Together (CET), ensuring service quality.

As a for-profit in the health and social care sector, WJS recognized the merit in certifying as a B Corp to demonstrate their business values. WJS have made it the Director of Quality’s remit to lead and manage the company’s B Corp certification. With recertification on the horizon, WJS engaged Junxion to support the director of Quality through the process, tapping into Junxion’s eight years of B Corp certification experience to provide mentorship and capacity building.

The Challenge 

Strength in People is the WJS watchword. Their ambition is to become the most respected private-sector health and social care service provider in Canada. With a commitment to provide the highest quality care, they already had their programs accredited by all the appropriate bodies. But as a for-profit in the sector, WJS felt it was important that they could demonstrate to the individuals and families they serve that they run their business responsibly. They wanted to capture the quality of care they offer and demonstrate to their service users that they feel accountable to them and value being open and transparent about their performance.

How We Helped

As a trusted delivery partner with a deep understanding of the company, Junxion were well placed to guide WJS through a successful B Corp certification process in 2018. We supported them in answering the 200-odd questions across the B Impact Assessment. We shared our knowledge of what B Lab (the certifying body) is looking for in the assessment and helped the WJS team figure out how to capture the positive impact of their programs.

We identified the gaps they needed to fill to certify and recommended those that were both the most impactful opportunities and most feasible for WJS to implement. WJS successfully certified as a B Corp in 2018 with Junxion’s help.

Measuring Success

At the heart of being a B Corp is the idea of continuously improving on the social and environmental impacts of your business. Since certifying, WJS has made it the Director of Quality’s remit to oversee and maintain their accreditations—including B Corp. This new position means Junxion’s role has evolved. We now work as a thought partner, mentoring the Director of Quality through the B Corp recertification process. We are building capacity at WJS to ensure the company stays on track and continues to improve its performance. Ultimately, this work supports WJS to demonstrate that they are a trusted partner to the people they serve.