At a Glance
Location: Santiago, Chile
Impact Areas: Labor Inclusion, Employment Generation
People Supported:
Low-income People
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2021
Overview
Próxima Servicios is a Certified B Corporation outsourcing company that connects essential workers to consumers who are interested in finding immediate help with everyday tasks, including gardening, cleaning, and other household work. In Chile, the outsourcing services industry keeps labor costs low by offering short-term contracts with no benefits that enable them to easily terminate employees in order to hire new people who are willing to work for lower wages. Without proper training and growth opportunities, these contracted workers are unable to grow their careers and secure higher-paying jobs.
Próxima Servicios offers fair wages and career development opportunities for its employees, 90% of whom are migrant workers, women, and/or ethnic minorities, who struggle with job security and basic workplace human rights.
To improve their job conditions, Próxima Servicios provides career development training, allowing them to expand their skill set. Those who complete three months of work are eligible to join the Próxima Servicios cooperative with partial ownership of the company. By involving them in the governance of the social enterprise, Próxima Servicios builds trust and lasting relationships in the workplace as its employees establish income stability to break the cycle of poverty.
Results & Impact
+490
employees supported by 2023
90%
of employees are from disadvantaged communities
70%
of employees are women
“We want to offer quality employment opportunities to people who are born into poverty to help them break its vicious cycle. ”
NESsT Investment
With NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship’s support, Próxima Servicios is implementing a career training program that teaches employees valuable and transferable skills to advance their careers. For example, the social enterprise offers waste management training to its employees that enables them to integrate recycling techniques into cleaning or gardening assignments, appealing to clients who are passionate about environmental impact and contributing to a circular economy.
To provide a wider selection of placements for its employees, the social enterprise has begun to expand to new industries to meet the demand for more professional jobs from its employees and for more types of services from its customers. Currently, the enterprise offers services in the agriculture, education, financial, health, retail, and transportation sectors, among others. Its clients recognize the social and business values of its mission of promoting the sustainability, stability, and professional development of its contracted workers.
Since its founding, the social enterprise has experienced steady organic growth, expanding to more than 250 employees in six years. NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship invested in Próxima Servicios to establish its impact goals and to deepen its expansion efforts by evolving its customer acquisition and growth marketing strategy.