Expert Answer
Today’s consumers hold companies to a higher standard. They’re looking for more than just material products or quality services when choosing a company to work with: Nine in 10 consumers expect companies to not only make a profit, but also operate responsibly to address social and environmental issues, according to a study by Cone Communications. Eighty-four percent of global consumers also said they seek out responsible products whenever possible.
Recognizing how important social responsibility is to their customers, many companies now focus on and practice a few broad categories of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
1. Environmental efforts: One primary focus of corporate social responsibility is the environment. Businesses regardless of size have a large carbon footprint. Any steps they can take to reduce those footprints are considered both good for the company and society as a whole.
“European companies have really led the way on environment efforts, such as green energy usage, eco-friendly office and travel policies, and ensuring that businesses take a responsibility for controlling if their net impact is positive or negative,” said Richard Stevenson, head of corporate communications at ecommerce platform ePages.com.
2. Philanthropy: Businesses also practice social responsibility by donating to national and local charities. Businesses have a lot of resources that can benefit charities and local community programs.
3. Ethical labor practices: By treating employees fairly and ethically, companies can also demonstrate their corporate social responsibility. This is especially true of businesses that operate in international locations with labor laws that differ from those in the United States.
4. Volunteering: Attending volunteer events says a lot about a company’s sincerity. By doing good deeds without expecting anything in return, companies are able to express their concern for specific issues and support for certain organizations.
As they say, “charity always begins at home”. The first and the foremost responsibility of an organization towards its employees is to ensure that they are happy and satisfied with their jobs. It is unethical to treat employees as mere machines and expect them to work continuously for eight to nine hours at a stretch just because they are being paid. Do not treat your staff as labours. Management needs to ensure that individuals associated with their organization are actually enjoying what they are doing and also growing with time. Job profiles ought to be delegated equally as per expertise, knowledge and educational qualification of individuals so that no one is overburdened. Provide healthy working conditions to your employees. Assign proper workstations or cubicles for them to work comfortably and eventually deliver their level best. Everyone needs some amount of privacy and make sure your employees get the same; else soon they would be frustrated with their job and look for better opportunities.
