Corporate Social Responsibility

If you are a regular reader of my articles you will be aware that social responsibility is a key area I focus on. This policy needs to be addressed in order for any business, no matter what size to develop in the way it wants to. Without policies in place how can you determine where your business is heading?

Groundwork, a charity who specialise in environmental regeneration, have been hosting a range of workshops and seminars in order to educate local businesses. Recently they held a seminar on the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility. Timely, as Apple have released sensitive information regarding their pollution and its origins. Although under pressure to do the right thing, Apple have said that they are working towards reducing their environmental impact – a response the public are eager to hear.

Never has it been more important to factor Corporate Social Responsibility procedures into your company to establish core beliefs. A company’s beliefs need to be defined early in order to engage people who share similar views. This will be the message you advocate, therefore it has to be part of the fabric of the business.

Engage with local people, especially young people to encourage them to promote and prolong your message; you are preparing the next generation of workers. If you have no message in place you are allowing other people to fundamentally run your company rather than leading it yourself.

Give back to the community. The local community is vital to your business even if it is not a stakeholder. The image of the area can have a direct impact on your company as it represents you. As a result, creating positivity is a crucial step for your business.

Work in partnership with other businesses. Together you can help others more effectively and in turn increase your workload when these efforts are reported. It’s not all about PR but in the ‘prove to me’ culture of our society you will need to recognise that what you do as a business is always being judged.

Considering Corporate Social Responsibility will enable you to make decisions regarding your company’s message. Primarily you will need to think about the differences you want to make, the differences you can make and the legacy you will leave.

Groundwork are continuing to hold various events to give support to local businesses. For more details contact Jean Maxwell on 0161 624 1444 or e-mail [email protected]