Partner Article

CSR and HR make a great couple

It’s corporate social responsibility focus week on Bdaily. Here, human resources expert Louise Kennedy explores the links between CSR and HR.

Sitting in the Lake District overlooking Skiddaw Mountain, the sun is shining and the scenery is breath-taking. This is a location and an environment that so many people enjoy for many different reasons.

This brings thoughts to how do we protect the environment to ensure future generations continue to appreciate and enjoy the views in this fabulous part of England.

Corporate Sustainable Responsibility, CSR, ‘how to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability for the future generations to meet their needs’. Many large companies have already began to think or act upon a strategy that they have decided upon for CSR, several review regularly, others leave it to chance (they have a policy in place but never do anything with it).

So where does CSR fit in your business and how can it be implemented?

CSR needs a strategy, as an organisation it is increasingly required to take accountability for their impact of their activities on society.

HR has an important role to play in the developing, implementing and achieving the environmental and social goals whilst balancing the objectives of the business. This HR contribution can be critical to business success.

When deciding how CSR and HR fit together consider the following options;

• HR is responsible for many key systems and processes on which effective delivery depends
• HR people have relevant knowledge and skills in relation to organisational learning and cultural change
• • Employees are key stakeholders in the CSR program

HR creates a workforce that has the trust, values, skills and motivation to achieve a profitable bottom-line. This can be done by training and encouraging employees to understand the business policies, assisting employees in identifying ways to recycle products that can be reused in the society and developing a company HRM system to reflect wellbeing, which would contribute to long term health of both internal employees and external communities.

Whilst considering your strategy looking at the environment, society and social factors, your employee’s wellbeing and engagement are significant in gaining the support from your employees to ensure your CSR is successfully implemented.

In recent years two large organisations one in France, the other in China had a significant number of suicides, 33 in total due to their organisations culture. Employees were overworked, worked irregular long shifts, had a lack of encouragement and engagement and a difficult discipline structure.

This is a prime example of how CSR failed to meet HR within the two companies, and how HR embedded a negative culture of workplace practices resulting in the catastrophic situations that occurred within these companies.

HR must support the overall business sustainability strategy operating ethically and in a transparent and accountable way whilst maintaining the CSR.

CSR responsibility lies with each individual company.

Hopefully with the successful implementation of CSR across the world, future generations will be able to appreciate the fantastic views and sites, on offer in so many fabulous locations.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Louise Kennedy .