Principles of CSR

Leaders are instrumental in making CSR matter. They will need to influence the board and shareholders, it's employees, partners, suppliers and customers. It would also be better to lead the change, rather than act only because a law has been passed. For example, the move to reducing plastic bags, using paper straws demonstrates those that led the way and those organisations who did it because they faced fines for not being compliant. If you were a leader or follower really does impact your brand reputation.

Principle 1. Be a leader, not a follower. If you want to take CSR seriously, you need to look at the way you do business and decide whether it is helping or harming others. If you are doing harm at the expense of profits then you decide how you will act on this information. Businesses who are committed to a purpose, cause or legacy will lead the way rather than wait for legislation, a scandal or customer voices to act. 

Principle 2. Align with purpose. What are you in business for? Identify your purpose or business activity and prioritise your CSR activity there first. For example, energy companies are well known to burn carbon and impact global warming. Installing motion sensitive lighting, move to electric cars, invest in renewable energy sources, educate customers on energy efficiency. All are great examples of focus and aligned CSR. at 3WH, we support equality and decent work. 10% of profits are given to lendwithcare.org to enable women led businesses in under developed regions to help them get out of poverty and create the means to sustain and grow their own success. Specsavers donate glasses to charities who reach people in poverty. You can make an impact straight away, while you sort out your bigger CSR strategy.

Principle 3. Set the culture through morals and ethics. How you act in the way you do business is governed by your morals and ethics. Be clear about how you do business and make decisions based on them. Integrate them into you leadership and talent development, your values, your performance management principles, your contracts and customer policies. It's no good saying, "We are kind and treat people with respect" when you screw suppliers or pay a pittance to workers in sweatshops in Asia. Treat your employees well first, then see the ripples expand.

Principle 4. Identify your legal and social responsibility. Ensure that you are compliant in the laws of the land, whether they are economic, fiscal, environmental, human rights or workers rights. Understand the impact you have on the communities by your actions. Are you building your communities or destroying them?

Principle 5. Role model. Be an industry role model. Take a stand, speak up, share your stories and inspire. In the UK it is seen as bad taste to show off the charity or do good deeds that you do. However, in CSR, we need you to shout about it, lobby, challenge and be a role model. 

Principle 6. Set goals and targets and make them visible. Choose your CSR impact initiatives and set targets. Find ways to measure the impact. For example, fund raising is easy, but can you demonstrate the impact of that fundraising? Are you working closely with the charities or organisations that you support so you understand what they need and how you can make a difference. For example, you local hospital might need a new mammogram machine. Can you find out how many breast cancer cases were identified because of your donations? Or if you choose to give volunteer days to your staff, can you measure how many days were taken and what activities people got involved in? If you reduce single use plastics in your work, can you quantify what reductions happened? Set targets, measure and celebrate.

Next we will look at some ideas to get you started.