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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
AND THE HR FUNCTION
By Sarah B. Hood
In 2009, Strandberg Consulting prepared
a report for Industry Canada,
titled The Role of Human Resource
Management in Corporate Social
Responsibility. It found a strong business
case for HR professionals to play a key role
in corporate social responsibility (CSR)
activities within their organizations, citing
increased retention and cost savings
among the benefits. How has CSR thinking
evolved since then?
The Strandberg report defined CSR as
“the balanced integration of social and environmental
considerations into business
decisions and operation.” However, these
days, definitions vary.
“Generally speaking, it’s what you do
above and beyond compliance with regulations:
what your company does on a
voluntary basis to meet the expectations
not just of your shareholders but stakeholders
– which, of course, includes
employees,” said Signi Schneider, vice president,
Corporate Social Responsibility for
Export Development Canada.
Linda Fisher Thornton is the CEO of
Virginia-based leadership development
firm Leading in Context and author of 7
Lenses, Learning the principles and practices
of ethical leadership. She says CSR is, above
all, “an approach to business that incorporates
a broad understanding of ethical
responsibility, including a responsibility to
support the good of society and the health
of the planet.”
According to Paul Klein, founder and
CEO of Impakt, a certified B Corporation
that exists to create profitable social enterprises,
“broadly, CSR refers to the ways in
which a corporation contributes to positive
social or environmental change. It encompasses
governance issues, supply chain and
ethical sourcing, community relations, social
impact and environmental impact.”
There are numerous benefits for the
companies that do CSR right.
“Consumers often look at a company’s
ethical brand value when purchasing,” said
Fisher Thornton. “Companies are finding
that ‘doing good’ can have powerful positive
effects on their organization’s success.”
As for recruitment, “CSR is a powerful
attractor of ethically aware and socially
responsible job applicants,” she said. “A
group of HR managers I worked with recently
mentioned that applicants were
asking about community service involvement
and environmental sustainability as
they were considering whether or not to
accept a position at the company.”
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ MARCH/APRIL 2016 ❚ 25
