subject: Top Trends In Csr For 2012 [print this page] Corporate Social Responsibility is the need of the hour. A conscious effort is being made by the businesses globally to act responsibly and be accountable for the business activities administered by them. With a number of large and small businesses implementing this idea in their policies, it is going to stir the world by its trends certainly. Some of the trends expected are as follows:
Globalization
The continuous walk towards globalization will surely take corporate responsibility towards new dimensions. In their desire to acquire more and more business around the globe, businesses won"t be able to shy away from their social responsibilities and will have to be accountable for the impact their business activities will have on the environment and society.
Transparency
Gone are the days when you could hide the precious information about business and show only what you wanted to. The pressure foe increased level of transparency has been mounting on companies over the past decade. Businesses all over the globe have started issuing Sustainability Reports and an attempt to standardize the ratings framework all over the world.
Employee engagement
The policies of your company are bound to have an effect on your employees. The relation between employee engagement and CSR has been growing profoundly in the past few years. Strong sustainability programs of your business will have a positive impact on your work culture and promotes business efficiency, employee morale and public image.
Faith in government
The inclination of government in dealing with sustainability will have a significant impact on society. The government"s ability to deliver jobs and look after social welfare and environmental issues is heavily dependent on its social and environmental outlook. Government companies should be the prime example of delivering economic, social and environmental benefits. For example, the Corporate Social Responsibility in India and such countries can be sensed in the policies.
Social media
The enormous reach of social media cannot be denied at all today. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social platforms have become the most widely used communication tools for any CSR program. Stakeholders interact directly with the company"s CSR program using the social media. Your business can gain followers from all over the world who are interested in your CSR programs. You can hire a PR agency to look after your public relations on such forums in case you don"t have enough time to handle social media yourself.
Collaboration
Various stakeholder networks and business associations have come under one roof by collaborating for the cause of CSR. They have realized that working together on the massive issues like conflict minerals are very efficient and is better for the society and the environment in the long run.
Sustainable shopping
Buyers today keep sustainability in their minds while shopping. Green marketing has been rising continuously and is set to be one of the prime trends to rule the market in times to come. Letting your customers know how your products can be recycled, repaired and reused will lead to stability in your CSR programs. People will trust your eco-values.
Work from inside
People prefer to work with those organizations which have strong CSR values driving its policies. 2012 will witness surplus jobs being created for CSR professionals who want to change the business from the inside. Every business is looking to hire people to improve their ethical, social and environmental performance.
Human rights
Human rights form an indispensable part of any CSR policy. Your business must give it due importance across the value chains. Reassess the human right practices and policies of your business and make necessary amends to avoid any legalities in the future.
Making sustainable use of the resources and employment of CSR in its policies will be beneficial for businesses. Stress on Corporate Social Responsibility in India and other countries where this concept came into the picture a bit late, will prove to be advantageous in the future. An era of business where social and environmental aspects to be given the prime importance, will be witnessed in times to come. CSR implementation is here to stay and that too for the better.
