Socially Responsible Activities
Socially responsible or corporate social responsibility is defined by The World Business Council for Sustainable Development as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce, their families and the local community and society at large.
More than goodwill, corporate community involvement or strategic corporate philanthropy, corporate responsibility is a genuine attempt by a company to build meaningful relationships between the corporate sector and the rest of society.
Corporate responsibility is achieved when a business adapts all of its practices to ensure that it operates in ways that meet, or exceed, the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business.
To be considered effective, corporate responsibility must be an integrated part of day-to-day business, engaging all stakeholders and including strategies to support individual managers to make socially responsible decisions, conform to ethical behaviour and obey the law.
Examples of strategies employed by businesses to transform commitment to corporate responsibility into practical action include:
- articulating a relevant organisational philosophy and incorporating it into mission, vision and values statements
- drafting a meaningful code of ethics that is consistently applied
- revising employment relations strategies
- social and environmental reporting and audits
- strategic philanthropy
- undertaking pro bono work
- employee volunteering
- public education programs
- mentoring programs
- corporate community partnering
- cause-related marketing
- community forums
Studies have shown that the benefits of engaging in corporate responsibility include:
- improved financial performance
- reduced risk exposure
- identification of new products and new markets
- enhanced brand image
- increased sales and customer loyalty
- improved recruitment and retention performance
- creation of new business networks
- increased staff motivation and enhanced skill set
- improved trust
- enhanced corporate reputations
- improved government relations
- reduced regulatory intervention
- reduced costs through environmental best practice leading to more sustainable profitability
Workability now has a number of opportunities for socially responsible individuals and organisations to make a difference in their community. Some of these include:
- Community Awareness Events
- Gift Giving & Bequests
- Volunteering & Mentoring Opportunites
- Employment & Development Opportunities
If you would like more information about how you can participate or other services Workability can provide, please email us or call on 9228 9999.