Corporate Social Responsibility in 2021 and Beyond: Commitment and Communication

August 4, 2021

Is your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative operating in a vacuum? If you’re not promoting opportunities for employees to become involved in your CSR efforts as well as highlighting positive outcomes, you could be. And in the “new normal,” where CSR is an even more important part of a company’s culture, that could be a problem. Below, we highlight the key benefits of CSR for a corporation and suggest ways that companies can use communications to get the full value from the initiatives.

First, we know that CSR is crucial for companies working towards more socially responsible business practices, and that an authentic, robust CSR effort can project a more attractive image to existing and potential employees, customers and other stakeholders. In fact, in the recent Cone Gen Z CSR Study, 94% of Gen Z now think companies should address pressing social and environmental issues and 63% of the general public said they would give socially responsible businesses the benefit of the doubt during a crisis. Let’s examine why:

• CSR improves a company’s image by highlighting its commitment to “doing good” and its high ethical standards, which in turn, helps develop trust in the company – both internally and externally.  This creates meaningful bonds between the corporation and its stakeholders, such as the communities where it operates.  
• CSR also creates a more attractive company culture, which helps recruit new employees and increases the retention of talent by enhancing the way employees feel about their employer. 
• Most importantly, in today’s workplace, CSR (especially volunteerism) helps create a sense of community despite a hybrid workforce. Finally, studies have shown employees who volunteer have improved physical and mental health.

Given the positive benefits from CSR, it is important to get your employees excited about CSR activities. To reap the full benefits from CSR initiatives, companies need to be active in communicating their good deeds and opportunities. After all, employees can’t be proud of something of which they are unaware.

Consider this checklist as you think about your company’s CSR activities:  

1. Listen. Send a quick survey to poll your employees on what types of CSR projects you should focus on.  
2. Communicate. Hold information sessions to remind your staff what your organization cares about and how they can contribute. Being included in the company’s CSR vision and being invited to contribute are important steps in driving engagement and motivation.
3. Provide volunteer options. Make it easier for your staff to start doing something, as well as providing them encouragement.  
4. Be intentional about getting employees at all levels involved. Companies that do a great job at leveraging their social responsibility initiatives incorporate them into their employees’ jobs. As a result:  
   • Employees come up with innovative ideas for how to make a positive impact in the community and meet a business need at the same time.
   • Employees believe in the importance of their organization’s CSR initiatives, and as a result, are more committed to their organizations. 
   • Employees prefer contributing to work they find meaningful.
5. Show impact. Share tangible positive outcomes. For example, communicate how many houses were built in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity.
6. Don’t make “much ado about nothing.” Be sure your CSR programs and policies are actually making a difference and that you really have something great to share. 
7. Align company CSR initiatives with employee wellness goals. According to the Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, a majority of employees polled who volunteered had improved health.  
8. Encourage company leaders to voice their support for CSR efforts, such as in a newsletter or a town hall. Nothing should inspire employees more than transparent communication from above, signaling senior corporate support for these efforts. 
9. Highlight stories about beneficiaries of CSR initiatives. These “feel-good” pieces have proven to be especially popular among staff and reinforce the overall goals of a CSR project. 
10. Invite guest speakers on CSR themes. For example, an expert in environmental policy is likely to make your employees feel more excited about their own activities related to climate change.  
11. Look for opportunities to create additional channels to communicate, like a microsite. This enables employees to have access to an ongoing flow of CSR information.  
12. Use internal social channels to provide updates and good news. This offers alternative sources of information to keep employees engaged.  

Committing to CSR activities and causes is the first step – but regularly and enthusiastically communicating about CSR opportunities, benefits, and successes will help you get the most out of your efforts.