CSR in a small company
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is gradually entering small and medium-sized companies in Poland. Although it is still often perceived as environmental protection and charity, still considered an element of the marketing strategy, employers are becoming more and more aware of the social responsibility of their companies. Enterprises rebuild their strategies taking into account not only economic goals, but also CSR strategies. Socially responsible business concerns all activities undertaken by the company. It includes the moral treatment of suppliers, employees and customers, fair advertising and environmental protection as well as the impact of the company's operations on its immediate environment, i.e. the local community. Social responsibility is a long-term strategy. By conducting CSR activities, companies build their positive image in the eyes of the community in which they operate, and the initiatives taken are associated with the favor of investors, which may significantly affect the company's results.
Consumers' attitudes are also changing. Young people are not passive consumers, but informed and active citizens and consumers. They want to know as much as possible about the social responsibility of the companies whose products they use.Thanks to the speed of social media, the opinion about unethical behavior of the company immediately finds its way to a wide field of comments, causes resistance from Internet users and often translates into a decrease in sales.
The foundation on which the organizational culture is built is the company's code of values. Clearly defined values that will be the basis of every business decision made make employees more motivated and loyal to the company. Employees appreciate the company's ethical culture. Everyday respect, good atmosphere and clear rules of conduct as well as joint CSR activities undertaken by the management and employees cement the company, make employees feel better in the work environment and identify them more with the employer. That is why companies are organizing employee volunteering more and more often. Its essence is devoting the employees' time to unpaid work for the benefit of another community. These can be educational and training activities, help in orphanages and help in the form of joint activities for the benefit of a given institution, promotion of a healthy lifestyle and sport, feeding animals during winter. There are many needs and opportunities for CSR activities, even for companies that cannot allocate large budgets for this type of activities.
At the beginning of the year, the Responsible Business Forum issued a second publication devoted to current issues in the field of corporate social responsibility and the phenomena influencing its future shape - CSR Trends 2014. Each of the seven trends presented (Distant and distributed innovation, Do and speak - emphasis on stakeholder engagement, Cities as generators of changes in thinking about sustainable development, XYZ - the alphabet of demographic challenges, Supply chain - work at the grassroots level, Ecology of the future and Reporting) is accompanied by comments of specialists describing the current situation in a given area and can be a knowledge base for companies that want to start CSR and are looking for in-depth knowledge on this topic.
Author: Renata Wrona, head of the PRIME IMAGE agency
