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Fulfilling their corporate social responsibility is every organization’s goal. Whether it’s big names like Starbucks or Netflix or startups, CSR efforts form an integral part of their business operations.
Some of the initiatives organizations invest in include climate change, reduced carbon footprints and generating employment. A lot of these initiatives are in line with what an organization needs to boost employee morale. The importance of CSR is rooted in the way it impacts the people involved, what it does for society and how it helps organizations build accountability.
Read on to learn more about the importance of corporate social responsibility and some notable initiatives launched by global powerhouses.
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What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?
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Importance Of Corporate Social Responsibility
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Establishing Trust In Communities
What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Before we dive into the importance of CSR, let’s take a minute to reacquaint ourselves with the meaning of CSR. CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. It defines a corporation’s responsibility to give back to society to account for the impact that they’re having on their environment. This impact may be positive or negative, but with CSR efforts, an organization can make sure they add value to their surroundings. Philanthropic efforts, volunteering and launching projects at scale help organizations do their bit for the community.
Importance Of Corporate Social Responsibility
The importance of CSR for any organization is to acknowledge being a part of the community they exist in. If they’re extracting resources, changing the landscape and adding to the environment for their benefit, it’s equally fitting that they give back, to balance the scales. Organizations don’t work in isolation, neither are they detached from society. They’re a very real, very large part of the fabric of a country in a global world. It becomes critical for them to connect to their surroundings. Let’s explore how you as an employee can and should contribute to your organization’s CSR initiative.
Here are some reasons that highlight the importance of social responsibility:
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Build Meaningful Relationships
Sometimes, doing your work as part of a large team may make you feel like a cog in the wheel. You may not find meaning in your work. But if you can help your organization in its CSR efforts, you’ll build meaningful connections with your coworkers and organization. It’s important to do more than just the daily tasks of an employee. As a member of the society you operate in, you have a duty to help make it better for everyone, not just yourself or your workplace.
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Add Value To Your Work Life
Helping as part of a CSR initiative takes you away from your desk for a more hands-on immersion into your surroundings. This way, you’ll find meaning and value in your work life. If you’re simply working day in, day out without really contributing where you should, you’ll soon burn out or lose sight of why you started. You can improve your work life by volunteering once a week. Pick an initiative your organization supports or if you want to start something and go all out.
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Express Your Gratitude
When you take, you have to give back. As human beings, we are takers in the food chain. But CSR efforts and initiatives are a way to give. This is our opportunity to express how grateful we are for what we receive from the environment and the society we live in. Organizations that set up operations in remote villages create employment for residents. This kind of relationship fosters growth and development within and without the organization.
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Give Back To Society
Giving back to society by volunteering your time, effort and resources is truly a rewarding experience. As part of your work life, you can make a conscious effort to give back and contribute whenever you can. Donating to the charity of your choice, volunteering a few hours over the weekend or simply spending time with people who need it are some ways you can do your part for your community.
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Strengthen Employee-Organization Relationships
As an employee, you’re more likely to stick around and feel like a part of your organization when you find your work-life enriching. Apart from what you love doing, CSR can truly bring you close to your roots, giving you a sense of belonging. When you help plant a tree, you want to stick around and see how it grows; you nurture and value it to make sure it’s robust and thriving.
The importance of social responsibility is well-understood by organizations that want to remain a part of their society. Not only does it help them with employee development but also establishes their credibility as organizations that care.
Establishing Trust In Communities
Organizations must build trust in their community. Starbucks, for instance, has plans to diversify its workforce by hiring US war veterans and youngsters to help them restart or launch their careers. Lush, a UK-based cosmetics retailer makes organic, preservative-free products. Their ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ initiative encourages customers to return their empty containers in exchange for free, full-sized products. These are only a few ways organizations can balance their impact on the environment. Think about what you can do as an employee or business owner to make the most of your professional life. (ambien)
Trust is the bedrock of a relationship—whether it’s between an employee and their organization or with the society at large. Learn how you can create and establish trust with yourself and others with Harappa’s Establishing Trust course. You’ll learn how to build trust-rich relationships, be empathetic and prioritize the needs of others. CSR initiatives and efforts are a sure way to help you build trust in teams. Add value to your personal and professional life by making an effort in the right direction.
Explore topics such as Meaning Of Corporate Social Responsibility, Types Of Social Responsibility, Need For CSR, Benefits Of CSR & Disadvantages Of Social Responsibility from Harappa Diaries to establish trust through your work or your business.
