Feature

Engaging employees in CSR

Companies have started focusing on society and its needs under the umbrella of CSR. Renuka Vembu finds out how employees are an integral part of this service

‘Serving society’ seems to be one of the newfound mantras of corporates. Being a part of people at the grassroot levels, uplifting the destitute, shouldering the elderly, educating the illiterate or connecting with rural areas; these form a slew of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ventures and are a necessary part of the branding exercise. The focus here is not restricted on people alone; it can be on creating awareness of the growing environmental hazards, protecting the depleting wildlife or even saving animals against ill-treatment.

Needless to mention, in an age of rising recognition and the imperative need for increasing employee engagement, CSR initiatives are not any different. The company may chart out a policy, draw up a plan, and invest funds, but it needs complete endorsement and active participation by employees to carry it forward and implement it as perceived.

Diversified programs

The aim of CSR activities is to give back a portion to society. The means to reaching out to the needy are manifold. While some companies have readily joined the CSR bandwagon, others are still involved on an ad hoc basis, showing active participant as and when the situation demands. Companies can either partner an institution or an NGO to support a specific cause or they themselves can set up a committee of volunteers to oversee the operations. Some of the programs companies can volunteer for are:

• Help during natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, etc.
• Women empowerment and upliftment, fighting for their rights and against domestic violence
• Services to an orphanage or an elderly home
• Providing medical care
• Educational support
• Fighting against child abuse or bonded labor
• An attempt to save environmental degradation
• Fighting the declining wildlife

Blood donation camps, rebuilding lives during disasters like earthquake or floods, periodically collecting books, toys, clothes or utensils for distribution, green drive initiatives like planting saplings, visiting an orphanage or an old-age home, promoting art and literature, imparting knowledge about small jobs, etc., are some of the widespread areas where a number of companies show a keen interest. CSR, in some cases, also empowers individuals by showcasing the camouflaged talent, and promoting the skill lying beneath each individual. Waste management, reduction in fuel consumption, adoption of energy efficient methodologies, green drive initiatives, are some of the emerging projects taken up by companies.

Abhay Valsangkar, Senior Director, HR, Symantec Corporation, felt, “CSR initiatives, particularly environmentally-oriented workplace initiatives, can reduce costs dramatically by cutting down on waste and inefficiencies and improving productivity, and thus contributing to the organization growth. An organization considered socially responsible can benefit both from its enhanced reputation with the public, as well as its reputation within the business community, increasing a company’s ability to attract capital and trading partners.”

In companies like Cisco, employees also work on several technologies that help humanity at large such as power management, reduced power usage, productivity-enhancing applications, collaboration products, etc. Senior employees there also have the option of working for NGOs to improve the NGO’s strategy, finances, business, or execution.

CSR makes sound business sense. IBM believes that there is a much larger reason for companies investing in CSR, grounded in the reality that business cannot succeed in a society which fails. It has, therefore, become imperative for companies to understand the social milieu in which they function.

Importance of involvement

Engaging in a social cause is more on a personal level, touching one’s emotional chords. It is not an obligation to get involved, but the feeling of wanting to contribute and make a difference. CSR essentially is giving back a portion of your resources (time, energy, finance, etc.) to society and people who are deprived of life’s basic necessities. It is also sharing a common responsibility and working towards a common cause, spreading awareness in society and making it a better place to live in for the have-nots.

In many organizations, more often than not, employees are let on their own to decide the programs that need to be taken up, and to chart out the course of action for proceeding with the same. AppLabs has an ACT chapter in each country, and the ACT leadership team plan, mobilize volunteers, develop partnerships with local NGOs and implement the services. The objectives of ACT are defined quarterly by a team of employees who form the decision-making committee, and it rotates quarterly so that different people will get an opportunity to lead the initiative.

Likewise, in Aspire Systems, employees form groups and each group adopts a school from the identified 21 schools. Victor Daniel Mallela, Co-ordinator, Polestar, added, “The teams aim to train teachers and provide them with additional teaching materials and kits to conduct the classes and library activities. They also ensure that the classes are being run as planned and work with the teachers to improve the quality of learning in the schools.”

Such levels of participation, right from the foundation stage, give employees an immense sense of satisfaction and pride, as they form an intrinsic part of the forum, rather than just meting out the service. Sensing it from another level, workforce engagement helps break the monotony of an employee’s routine and gives them an outlet to showcase their spirit and talent in a different world and to a different set of people altogether.

Firms also have an arrangement where employees forego a part of their salary for a specific period of time. The sum of all money accumulated from every employee at the end of the assigned period goes to a specific pre-decided endeavor. In some instances, companies themselves equal employee contribution and raise money.

Participatory forum

To be a part of a worthy cause and do something meaningful is a feel-good factor for every person. The role of employees is not merely limited to entering in the execution stage. Their inputs and insights can be right from the brainstorming session that determines areas that need to be prioritized to the roadmap that needs to be followed.

Voting for opinions on projects and settling on the chosen one/few, collecting funds and disseminating it amongst the projects voted for, forming a committee which will spearhead the campaign, and then prudently giving each elected project proportional weightage, active employee participation can be garnered at every step of the ladder.

For dreams to assimilate into reality, employee endorsement is inevitable.

CSR activities help spread positive vibes and goodness amongst employees, and also assist in helping enhance the work environment. It makes employees more sensitive and empathetic towards customers and fellow co-workers. It gives them a broader perspective on life and shows them an alternate means to deal with daily constraints.

It makes them more matured and responsible human beings and instills a sense of satisfaction and pride within them. Somasajeevan T K, Global Head, HR, and Executive VP, Polaris summed up that CSR activities helped organizations build a holistic institution around multi-threaded relationships that remain strong and unblemished despite the demands or ravages of pressure and time.

The larger picture

CSR—for the company it is a beneficial business advantage with tax exemptions, while for the employees it acts as a moral boost for working with an organization that values ethics and cares for culture. Rahul Arya, Marketing Director, Cadence Design Systems, opined, “In the long-term, CSR can positively impact business and society. If managed well, it can aid the wealth creation process and create inclusive socio-economic growth and sustainability.”

Aravind Sitaraman, VP and MD, Cisco Development Organization, India, explained, “CSR at Cisco is about building strong and productive global communities, where every individual has the means to live, the opportunity to learn, and the chance to give back. CSR can be a source of competitive advantage as it aligns the company’s mission and values with initiatives that delve into civic engagement. It no longer gets labeled as a do-good but more as a core business opportunity. In short, the goal post for businesses has moved due to society’s expectation from them and it is now generic concern for the “good of all” rather than risk mitigation.”

Mamtha Sharma, Manager, Corporate Community Relations, IBM India/ South Asia, stated, “CSR has increasing relevance for brand and corporate reputation management as well as for risk management. It is emerging as being very closely aligned with strategic corporate communications in many companies. This serves the dual purpose of building relationships of trust with internal and external stakeholders, but also setting the foundation for achieving sustained profitable growth through efforts that contribute to the sustainable development of society.” This reinforces the principle that in addition to providing products and services, companies can also contribute to the development of society through business activities.

renuka.vembu@expressindia.com