Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not a phrase that I like. In fact I would like to take the ‘Corporate’ out of Corporate Social Responsibility altogether.

However in the absence of any other meaningful phrase I refer to CSR, by which I being a responsible business whether your company is large or small.

As I update this blog in the middle of a global pandemic, CSR isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes business sense. In the current challenging climate, you will be better placed to survive and thrive if you already have strong ethical values in place. Some of my tips will not be relevant at the moment as many people are working from home and charity events are postponed or cancelled. Nevertheless it’s not too late to start.

Are SME’s Missing Out on CSR?

Traditionally it has only been the large ‘corporate’ companies that have a structured approach to CSR working with organisations such as Business in the Community. Their awards for Responsible Business of the Year in 2019 includes the likes of Boots, Deloitte, Morrisons and Timpson Ltd.

Yet I believe many Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SME’s) could be missing out on an opportunity. Not because they are not operating as a responsible business but because they don’t think about it holistically or shout about it.

Companies that go the extra mile to think about their employees, the environment, their community and supply chain activities are well placed to differentiate their business, create a skilled and inclusive workforce and improve their profile and reputation.

Lead by Example

If you truly want to put CSR high on your agenda from the outset, it should form one of your core values, it needs to become second nature and in time, CSR will be part of the ethos running throughout your whole organisation.

When it comes to CSR, business owners and managers need to lead by example when “doing your bit” for the community and encourage your staff to do the same. In the words of Business in the Community –  you need to inspire, engage and challenge everyone to mobilise a collective strength as a force for good in society.

Top Tips for CSR for SME’s

It’s actually not that difficult to integrate responsible business practices into your company, here are my top ten tips.

1. Make it fun – if you want to create a fundraising event or activity make it a memorable and enjoyable experience for all involved. Or set targets e.g. have a prize for the team that generates the least waste each month.
2. Make it simple – getting staff to contribute to dress down days, fancy dress events, cake bakes, photo competitions all make it easy for staff who don’t want to jump out of planes or run a marathon.
3. Make it second nature – introduce ‘Pennies from Pay’, maybe make it compulsory. This scheme rounds down monthly salaries turning unmissed pennies into a sizeable annual charity contribution. Once a week encourage staff not to get take away coffees or lunches (reducing waste) and donate their money to your chosen charity.
4. Look beyond the obvious – it can be very rewarding to seek out local groups and activities which are in jeopardy through lack of funds. You can literally become their lifeline.
5. Make it bottom up – encourage staff to come up with ideas and let them run their own fund raising campaigns for the causes which interest them.
6. Lead by example – as a business owner support local businesses or national causes through taking an active part on boards and committees. This creates new partnerships and opportunities you just don’t get sitting behind a desk.
7. Find that passion – seek out worthy causes that fit with your objectives or interests or the community where you live or work. Passionate people get more people involved and raise more money.
8. Build it in – if you get the chance think about building in energy efficiency in lighting, heating, equipment and processes. Consider the impact of recycling and waste reduction at every stage of your business. Think about how you can help behavioural and cultural change with refurbishing or reselling equipment, flexible working and green travel policies and ensure suppliers operate sustainable policies
9. Reward and invest in staff – match fundraising by staff to double the impact, subsidise staff social events to ensure staff feel valued and provide ongoing training and development for all levels of staff. This keeps people motivated and results in a much lower staff turnover, which in itself saves resources.
10. Raise awareness – ensure your staff are aware of your mission and values – from induction and regular communication to putting a copy on the back of your loo doors!

Making a Difference

Developing good CSR policies could, and should, become an important part of your business. During this pandemic the human face of a business, your empathy and understanding is very important, whether you are communicating with your staff, your customers, your investors or your suppliers.

In the longer term, setting up and maintaining an effective CSR campaign helps with everything from improving your profile to winning contracts and even recruiting and retaining staff. Providing of course you tell the world about it through your website, news releases, newsletters, blogs and social media profiles and posts!

If you want help with making the most of your CSR policies please contact me. [email protected]