For the third year, goBeyondProfit conducted annual surveys of Georgia senior executives and employed adults in partnership with Georgia CEO. This report provides timely, data-driven insights and comparative analysis to help chief executives navigate the complexity in the marketplace and set strategy to care for their people, community and bottom-line.

We are pleased to bring you the 2021 goBeyondProfit Research Report.

Summary of Findings

Across the board, everyone feels the heightened expectations for businesses’ role in society. Georgians’ expectations for business generosity have intensified considerably. They believe authentic generosity includes a combination of charitable efforts, treating all people well, speaking up and solving real problems. And they want their chief executives to publicly embody a company’s corporate character in visible, accessible and transparent ways.

Chapter 1: Heightened Expectations Require New Executive Approach Chapter 2: The Mandate to Speak Up: Deciding When and Managing Missteps Chapter 3: When, Why and How Georgians React to Company Behaviors Chapter 4: Investing Where it Matters Most in 2021 Download the Full Report

Businesses are being judged more closely on their choice of behaviors as well as their executives’ expressed point of view. We found that what triggers people’s reactions runs the full gamut of ideology and opinion. New insights reveal that majorities of people have changed their purchasing behaviors and are reimagining their employment preferences based on a company’s behaviors. Unmistakably, this willingness to act has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line.

The data reinforce concerns that in this polarized, agitated environment companies may lose people who are misaligned with core company values. Thus, making it more important than ever for business to harness these insights to attract and retain loyal people with clearly defined and demonstrated corporate character.  

This new normal ushers in “Emotional Generosity” as an executive imperative — both as a strategy to deploy and as a skillset to develop. Emotional Generosity entails demonstrating empathy for employees, consistently embodying clear values as well as engaging in community issues with care and time, not just financial contributions and words.

Implementing emotional generosity provides
an entire company with the vital compass
needed to guide decisions and actions.

Despite the economic challenges of 2020, 96% of Georgia business executives claim they will maintain or invest more in their company’s corporate generosity approach. This report aims to help them do so more effectively by breaking down the data into 2021 priorities:

Explore Further Insights: