Social responsibility is no longer a hip catchphrase or a new-age trend. In fact, as a business, if you do not have a social responsibility and awareness platform, you’re behind the eight ball, so much so that you may not even be in the game!
So, what’s changed? Why the urgency now to participate as individuals and as an organization? The issues are still the same issues—for example, poverty, environmental concerns, and health troubles are ever-present, and it’s not a stretch to say such problems are increasing as we speak. But we in society are changing, gaining education, awareness, and becoming activists in areas that touch us personally or touch us in ways that we can not dismiss.
And then there’re the millennials. When not mass-consuming avocados globally, they are the activist of today and they want to surround themselves with socially-conscious individuals and work for companies that share in their vision of a better world.
Of course, this is not to say the Baby Bombers and Gen-Xers do not have their activists and movers and shakers creating a better tomorrow—in fact, many of those folks pioneered this evolution of social responsibility and now have millennials in the masses to forge ahead and create significant business practices that will have global effects and positive consequences. But with millennials surging into the workforce, their concerns are quickly coming to the forefront and now more than ever it’s apparent that modern businesses are required to step up and make changes.
Social Responsibility Strategies
Voluntary Hazard Elimination
This has become a standard practice in organizations in North America and now you are starting to see it spread globally. A company that takes action in eliminating production practices that can cause harm to the public or environment, regardless of whether it is mandated by law or not, is an organization other companies want to be associated with. It creates a foundation of integrity to their customers and employees, one that people want to shop with, support, and work for.
Community Development
Organizations that align themselves with appropriate causes and institutions to create a better environment to work and live in. Companies that demonstrate their concern in areas of company social responsibility initiatives. This is a great company-driven initiative, where employees can actively participate and feel the accomplishment personally in taking part in something larger than themselves and the feel-good sensation that inspires us to do more.
Philanthropy
Business philanthropy makes monetary contributions to aid local or global charities, educational initiatives, and health-related organizations to assist in providing awareness, education, reduce poverty, or help the environment, among other possibilities. This can create a large impact on the charity of choice, from alleviating the financial pressures of non-profits to accelerating a cause substantially in their initiatives. Purposeful leadership alignment, company participation, and overall buy-in to the cause is essential for individual participation and to the overall culture development of an organization.
Being mindful of what cause you want to immerse your organization in is essential. Employees don’t buy in to casual effort or blind intention when the mandate is to serve the greater good. Taking the necessary time to create a thoughtfully laid out strategy for employee review and acceptance will create a win for you, your employees, and the loyalty of your customers.
There are so many options available that will support the cause of choice and in turn support the social responsibility platform of a business. It creates a socially conscious culture within an organization, where employees have a strong sense of belonging and ownership in creating a better tomorrow.
Whether individual participation is in the form of volunteering under the umbrella of an organization, contributing monetarily through a pay deduction, or actively playing a part in an organization’s social responsibility strategy, employees want to have a voice and they want to be part of something great!
We all play a part in making a better tomorrow and we know there is strength in numbers. Actively recruiting employees and team members is not only an accredit to this, it simply is the right thing to do! Letting them be part of the deciding vote creates a great return on your investment as an employer.
People like to support companies that contribute to the overall wellbeing of society in some way, whether it is big or small. They want to know that if they support you in buying your product or services, you are paying it forward in some form, and that way they too feel they are playing a part in the success of the company’s platform of social responsibility.
Companies like to do business with companies that share the same ethical stand points and are governed by a strong moral compass that takes responsibility in creating awareness, educating, and being of service.
So, no matter what you choose to put your efforts into, the key is to be decisive in your platform, make it count for the recipient as well as the contributor, and keep in mind that team participation goes a long way in doing good!
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