Spanish
By Susana Mozo ( Global SaaS Client Manager)
Companies and in particular their HR departments have an incredible power: they can shroud their business activities in a unique halo and charisma that can transform any company— however traditional— into a modern, engaged and valued company.
Social responsibility must begin with our own employees
A key ingredient in the recipe for success and recognition is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A company giving back to society a share of what it has received opens a path into the hearts of its fellow citizens, and more importantly, its employees. At the end of the day, we are all for good people and at some point or other we’ve dreamt of doing our bit to change the world.
It is true that CSR is often associated with large organizations wishing to minimize or rectify the impact of their operations on society. But if we are responsible, since we are individuals, is it simply because we want some of our work and results to go towards improving our environment? And what if we ourselves begin to be socially responsible in our work environment?
However well-defined an external CSR policy is, it won’t hold up if it doesn’t come with social responsibility towards our own employees. By proving to our workers that they are vital for our company’s good results and that our HR policies focus on achieving excellence which will be championed and rewarded, a return on investment is delivered very shortly. The intangible benefits we can gain, sure enough include improvement in employee motivation and improvement of the working environment. Furthermore, there are very easily measurable tangible benefits too: reduced absenteeism, increased talent retention and attraction, and lower production costs.
Evidently the implementation projects must adapt to the characteristics of our business, results and workforce size. The goal must focus on making life easier for your employees and their families, given the broad reach which could have a deep impact on both the internal and external perception of the company.
Accessibility projects, the transformation of our company into one that’s family-friendly, or the creation of a healthy work environment, are some of the actions of a company engaged with their employees and how a company starts to become engaged with society.
This is human nature: we typically love whoever loves us, whoever makes our lives easier and cares about us. A company that does not devote itself to their workforce will not be able to make their employees engaged. This simply goes against nature. Yet, for a company that does not love itself, it is hard for it to be loved by others. That’s why creating a policy for internal responsibility to strengthen cohesion, collaboration and work well done is ideal for cultivating a successful and long-lasting business.
