Big business is being urged to get behind a new campaign (bigforsmall) to help Australian small businesses get back on their feet after months of lockdown and reduced patronage.
Launching today, the #bigforsmall campaign is encouraging big businesses to empower their employees to shop and spend at small businesses as workers begin to return to commercial districts and Government funded support is tapered off.
After months of nearly non-existent foot traffic in commercial districts, many small businesses are desperately hoping that they’ll have customers return in sufficient numbers when they reopen.
The organisation behind the campaign, Breathe HR, will be giving its employees $20 per person per day to spend at small businesses near the company’s offices in Sydney and Melbourne. All employees of its parent company ELMO Software will also receive the cash to spend supporting small businesses near its offices.
While Breathe HR and ELMO Software will be providing its employees with cash, other big businesses are being encouraged to think of other ways they can participate. This may be longer lunch breaks or suggesting employees take some time to go visit a hairdresser or nail salon.
A dedicated campaign page has been created to give organisations more information about how they can launch their own #bigforsmall initiative.
ELMO Software CEO and Co-founder Danny Lessem said getting small businesses back on their feet was key to the success of the Australian economy.
“Small businesses are vital to the Australian economy. They’ve been through an incredibly tough time during these lockdowns and need all of us to do our bit to help them get back to normal. Small businesses are major employers and contributors to economic output. Without them the economy is demonstrably worse off.
“The driver behind this campaign is to harness the power of bigger businesses’ workforces for good by empowering employees to spend at small businesses.
“Deciding to reopen is a tricky decision for a lot of small operators who may be worried about sales volumes and patronage. Small businesses need to know that the broader business community and Australian workers are ready to support them with patronage so they can reopen with confidence.
“I encourage all business leaders to think about how their organisation can support the small businesses around them and get on board the #bigforsmall campaign.”