An organization’s decision to implement a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative brings with it a number of considerations and implications with potential long-term effects on its future success. The definition of CSR often varies on an individual employee basis, at the corporate level and within the staffing industry in particular. A successful program requires a unified approach and shared set of values. Here are some tips to ensure your organization’s path to CSR impact is as smooth as possible.

CSR — It’s About More Than Words

To successfully launch a CSR program is to first acknowledge that it’s a journey – not a destination. As a company or employee team, you never truly ‘complete’ your CSR process. Instead, it is always evolving and as you achieve certain goals, you’re ready to set new aspirational ones.

It’s also important to recognize that CSR is more than words and aspirations. A successful initiative must instead permeate the values and fabric of the organization at its core in order to engage employees and encourage them to share those goals. With this in mind, at the organizational level, the strategic direction and guidance for CSR initiatives should be the result of a concerted thought process with longevity and growth in mind as opposed to knee-jerk short-term value.

It’s Good for Business

Gone are the days when organizations can succeed without implementing some sort of CSR program. The truth is, the more multi-generational the modern workforce becomes, the more important a company’s values are. This changing nature also increases the premium placed on how organizations ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to making a difference. The boundaries between work and personal life often blur in our modern workforce, and this results in a strong desire for not just the work/life balance that was a buzzword in decades past.  Now, employees crave a ‘life’ balance rooted in giving back and caring about the world outside of the office.

Employees want to know they’re working in an environment that cares about them, the community, and the world — and companies want to work with organizations that do the same.

Shared Sense of Purpose — A Central Human Need

One of the biggest concerns that often accompanies the decision to execute a CSR program is: how do we ensure employees engage with it? What types of activities will incite participation and interest? The answer is ensuring your program and its initiatives are rooted in a shared sense of purpose that unites and engages both leadership and employee teams.

More than just a ‘nice to have,’ a shared sense of purpose is a key driver to a successful and long-lasting CSR program. That collective passion and desire to reach a common goal taps into a central aspect of our composition as human beings. We are social creatures, and we all have that desire to rally around something that matters to us.

When organizations can combine action, giving back, and the drive to a unified goal, that is when a CSR program becomes more than a flash in the pan and earns a place in the lasting fabric of an organization’s values.

Culture Change Takes a Concerted Effort

CSR programs require long-term dedication and a concerted effort to achieve lasting success. As implementing these initiatives involves culture change at the organizational level, it is important to start in the right place. Ensure your company is creating an environment that values inclusivity, diversity, and playing a role in the larger community.

  • Clearly state your goals. Describe what your CSR program seeks to accomplish and how it relates to your company’s overall mission.
  • Turn values into action. Leadership should place a premium on what is most important to employees to get a sense for the program’s focus and direction.
  • Keep the focus on the people. Ensure your employee teams at all levels feel personally engaged in the programs. Foster diversity and inclusion in encouraging all ideas and new thinking as initiatives progress.
  • Combine top-down support and grassroots engagement for maximum success. Show employee teams that your organization’s leadership is as committed to the causes at the core of your CSR programs as they are. Encourage open feedback and discussion, secure buy-in at multiple levels, and combine these efforts to layer onto these initiatives excitement and engagement for your program to grow.

Successful CSR Programs are a ‘Domino Effect’

At its root, CSR is about encouraging employees to be engaged, responsible citizens. Organizations stand to lose talent and clients if CSR is not made a focus of its mission and culture. Therefore, it’s vital for organizations to incorporate it into their environments and day-to-day operations. Particular elements, such as ethics, internal practices, environmental projects, and volunteerism tend to matter the most to employees as a whole.

At Disys, we continue to roll-out new programs as we progress on our journey to culture change and industry differentiation. Our Disys Dream program consists of a contest among employees to receive funds to advance missions that mean the most to them, followed by reporting on their success to the organization as a whole. Disys also recently embarked on a new pilot project in Malacca, Malaysia, as way to give back to world communities and empower the future of youth in technology. In partnership with the Human Life Advancement Foundation (HLAF) the project, known as HLAF-PROATEC (Program for Advancing Technology), is a collaborative endeavor to prepare the next generation of the digital workforce to be future-proof and fluent in digital literacy. Our role in the HLAF-PROACTEC project will deepen the development of skilled human capital in STEM-related industries, beginning at the school level to support the education of youth and the opportunity to shape the next generation and prepare them to serve the needs of the digital economy. We have also just introduced Workplace by Facebook to help all our employees better engage, learn new things and share information throughout our organization, including around CSR.

A Core Value for the Staffing Industry

As staffing firms, our employee base is characterized by a largely temporary, evolving workforce that is constantly changing. This can bring an added challenge to developing and implementing CSR programs, but also significant opportunities for your organization to differentiate itself amidst a largely commoditized industry.

The truth is, clients love to see firms that actively invest in and engage with initiatives that give back. A central business truth is that people want to work with people they like and feel a shared sense of values with. For staffing firms, CSR helps your organization rise above the herd to achieve lasting business growth. At Disys, we have often heard client organizations specifically call out CSR, including diversity, inclusion and community service as critical elements when selecting a staffing partner.

Talent and placements evolve over time, but an impactful CSR program is a sustainable way to ensure your organization attracts and retains top talent and clients. The cultural changes and advances in diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as the ‘life’ balance CSR enables, are a lasting strategy to achieve positive growth for your company, employee teams, and clients in the future.