CSR, its importance in the company

La responsibility corporate social or CSR arises because of society's need for companies to meet certain social and environmental standards, not just economic benefits.

In this post, we will explain what corporate social responsibility (CSR) is, what principles govern it and what benefits as a company it can bring us.

What is CSR?

Corporate social responsibility is the ethical and voluntary commitment that an entity adopts to carry out its activity in a sustainable manner, measuring the impact that its actions have on both its internal and external environment.

La R.S.C. It is part of the corporate reputation of a company as well as a guide to carrying out its regulatory compliance and thus avoiding the criminal liability of legal persons in which they may be involved when any of its members are reported for malpractices.

Therefore, CSR is a tool that serves to reduce the negative impact of companies, on social, labor and environmental rights, in short, on Human Rights.

Principles

The management of Corporate Social Responsibility is based on its own principles. We'll name you some of the most relevant.

1. Transparency

Companies must have corporate transparency policies through which they offer clear information, understandable language and formats accessible to all their employees, managers, shareholders, etc.

2. Regulations

Companies must respect international standards of behavior with respect to social responsibility. If there are conflicts between national and international norms, an attempt must be made to take actions that allow greater respect for both.

3. Follow-up

Companies must implement indicators that allow them to self-evaluate to obtain data, detect areas of opportunity and corrective measures, in the same way they can develop social responsibility management systems.

4. Ethical behavior

CSR must observe ethical conduct, based on the values of honesty, fairness and integrity. For its management, it is essential to identify, prevent and mitigate possible adverse consequences that may occur.

5. Meeting expectations and needs

Every company must respect, consider and respond to the interests of its owners, shareholders, partners and employees, as well as to other individuals or groups who may have specific rights, claims or interests to be considered.

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Benefits of having a CSR plan in the company

Having a corporate social responsibility plan brings a series of benefits for the company, although certain people may associate it with advertising aimed at creating a corporate image concerned with the concerns of society.

Some of the benefits are:

1. Improves corporate image and reputation

The way to assess a company's reputation has ceased to be based solely on economic value. Clients and candidates are increasingly looking at what we offer, but above all, how we offer our services, that is, whether they are environmentally and socially responsible. Therefore, working with a CSR strategy will improve your corporate image and increase your company's reputation.

2. Preventing crisis situations

Carrying out daily activities, establishing ethical codes and behaviors, following responsible criteria when choosing suppliers, considering the environment, as well as human rights, prevents the company from adopting or employing bad practices.

In this way, the likelihood of receiving complaints or conflicts that could trigger a crisis situation that damages the company's image and reputation is exponentially reduced.

3- More committed workers

Today's society has changed its way of valuing work, where before it was simply a means of earning income, now it is much more, and it must fit with our way of life and thinking.

Nowadays, workers and fundamentally the new generations called “Millennials” are looking for comfort, innovation, flexible hours, transparency, social and environmental commitment on the part of the company they are going to work for.

That is why applying a CSR strategy will allow us to retain talent and design jobs that adapt to today's society.

4- Increased productivity

Involving and actively involving employees in CSR strategies acts directly, not only creating and establishing a good teamwork environment, but also increases productivity.

It improves the motivation and skills of workers, fostering a sense of belonging to the company, while strengthening commitment and involvement with it.

5- Improves energy efficiency

Committing to environmental responsibility allows the company to save economically, by reducing the use of natural resources, promoting reuse and recycling.

6- Customer loyalty and acquisition

More and more consumers trust and admire those companies that develop social and environmental projects, act in an open and transparent way. Therefore, showing concerns, responsible and supportive concerns, not only attracts new talent committed to innovative ideas, but it also builds loyalty and promotes the acquisition of new customers.

The importance of the HR department in implementing CSR policies

There is still no reference standard for the implementation of a CSR system that allows us to go beyond environmental management standards or procedures related to quality and productive management.

The CSR management model seeks to combine benefits and business principles that improve relationships with groups affected by business activity. The basis of the model is found in the set of policies and good practices, both internal and external, aligned with organizational values and principles. With these actions, the company improves its competitiveness, sustainability and the quality of life of its employees.

Stages for implementing CSR:

• Preparation: Identify the benefits it can bring us. It requires management and staff to understand what is expected of them and to commit to the project.

• Diagnostic: CSR management is based on an internal analysis of processes, systems, policies and practices and an external analysis of consumers, suppliers, communities and the legal framework.

• Strategic and operational planning: At this point, we will define exactly the strategies to be followed and the operations that must be carried out to achieve our objective.

• Deployment: Its purpose is for the company to be able to prioritize its areas of intervention according to its strategic lines, its impact and its technical and economic capacities to carry them out.

• Communication: It seeks to change the communication approach to one focused on the relationship between the company and its stakeholders, through dialogue.

• Monitoring and measurement: Its purpose is to measure the progress of processes and the achievement of results to ensure that the system is effective and that the objectives are achieved.

• Review and improvement: Its purpose is to learn from experience to reduce detected weaknesses and enhance strengths in the next management cycle.