CSR as a Tool

CSR is a vital tool to boost business and employee morale. It‘s critical in relation to staff engagement – we‘ve seen that at CBRE with our engagement, as measured by an external provider, increasing each year as a direct result of our CSR program. And that‘s been reflected at other organizations that have implemented similar initiatives. Biotechnology Company Amgen also has two days of paid charity leave and they recently citied that it was one of the features of the company that made their people proud.

Companies have started involving employees in CSR programmes. Employee Voluntarism has yielded benefits. Senior staffs are most likely to feel it has given them a broader understanding of social issues .It Improves the team-working ability, communication channels and job satisfaction are also seen as key benefits. Mid-level and junior staffs are more likely to consider their team working ability to have improved and are also more likely to feel they have developed other useful skills through their involvement.

Involvement in company CSR programmes inculcates a positive nature; there is clearly evidence to suggest that employee community involvement does have a real impact on morale and motivation. Even those who are aware of the schemes, but not involved, tend to be more likely to recommend the company to others and be motivated to do their jobs than those who do not know of any schemes. This positive outlook increases further among those personally involved in schemes. Employee advocacy is clearly affected by community involvement. Those involved are more likely to be advocates than those who are not involved.

In addition to the two core areas of benefits (pride and advocacy), engagement in CSR can help boost employee skills development, an area of real potential gain. In particular, CSR projects are recognized as improving team working ability and developing new and better communication channels within the business. Employee surveys suggests that in addition to improving perceptions of the employer, participation can bring direct benefits to employees, such as improved team-working and communication skills, as well as better morale and motivation. All of these factors have been shown to bring bottom-line benefits to the employer.

It has been perceived that applicants will not only be attracted to firms with positive corporate social performance but that they will pursue jobs with such firms, will attempt to interview with such firms, and will have a higher probability of accepting jobs from these firms. Firms may develop competitive advantages from such activities especially if their reputation and image is valuable, rare and not easily imitated.