Reflections from the latest SRAG Lunch and Learn
May 21, 2026Posted by:
What the Polls Told Us About Where Social Value Is Heading
By Dr Craig Corrigan
As part of my role with SRAG, I host our Lunch and Learn sessions, welcome presenters and help guide the conversation. One of the things I value most about them is that when I can stop talking and others start, there is a level of honesty that comes through that means I always learn even more than I expected to.
This month’s session with Angela Halliday, Director of Social Impact for Sodexo UK & Ireland, brought a huge amount of lived experience and practical insight into the conversation.
Alongside the depth and candour of Angela’s reflections, the polling we ran during the session offered a useful snapshot of where organisations currently are in their social value journey, and the kinds of practical challenges people are navigating day to day.
What stood out straight away was that very few organisations described themselves as being at the beginning of the journey anymore.
Most attendees placed themselves somewhere between developing, embedding or leading.
Just three years ago, many conversations in this space were still about convincing organisations that social value mattered at all. That was the challenge - getting people through the door. Building awareness and explaining why this work belonged in business conversations in the first place.
The biggest challenge identified in the polling was: “Turning commitments into practical delivery.”
That really resonated with me because it reflects what I’m hearing more and more across the network.
People care deeply about this work. Organisations want to do the right thing and the ambition is there, but operational reality is hard sometimes.
You can see how easy it is for organisations to keep adding commitments, initiatives, partnerships and targets because the need out there is huge. Every issue connects to another issue. Every unmet need represents a real person, family or community.
And if you care about this work, saying “no” to things can feel uncomfortable.
That’s why Angela’s reflection on Sodexo’s own journey from 82 commitments, to 18, and eventually to 4 core priorities landed so strongly in the room.
Not because anybody wants to care less.
Because people are starting to recognise that sustaining meaningful impact over time requires focus, consistency and delivery structures that genuinely hold up under pressure.
Another thing the polling highlighted was the growing appetite for peer learning, practical case studies and honest discussion between practitioners.
For me, that feels like a really positive sign of where this work is heading.
As social value work becomes increasingly operational, embedded and connected to procurement, recruitment, workforce strategy and reporting expectations, people need spaces where they can compare notes honestly.
It's not about polished presentations, or perfect answers.
Just real conversations about what works, what’s difficult and what organisations are learning as they go.
I think that’s an even bigger part of SRAG’s role now as the network grows and matures.
Yes, we celebrate success. We showcase great work. But there’s also growing value in creating room for experienced people to think out loud together about what sustaining impact requires over time.
Angela said something during the session that stayed with me afterwards:
“Every human being has got a contribution to make.”
For me, that sums up a lot of what this work is really about.
Not frameworks first, not reporting first.
People first.
And perhaps one of the clearest signs of maturity in this space is that organisations are now asking harder, more operational questions about how to keep people at the centre of the work as social value delivery grows in scale and complexity.
These are exactly the kinds of conversations SRAG exists to create.
To learn more about upcoming Lunch and Learn sessions or the wider SRAG network, contact [email protected]
As part of the SRAG Secretariat, Craig works with employers across the network through his role as Social Value Solutions Manager at PeoplePlus, including supporting organisations through the SRAG Charter Mark assessment and progression process.
May 21, 2026Posted by:
