Top Ten Tips
Starting a CSR programme for your company is easier than you think – especially with Collins McHugh as a partner. Chances are you are already involved in some CSR activity but might not know it. We will help you identify areas in which you are employing responsible business practices and then widen the scope into a complete CSR solution.
We believe that every business should operate in a responsible way that benefits both themselves and the wider society.
Our 10 Top Tips for getting started on cost effective CSR:
1. Benchmark where you are now and how you got there
Almost all companies are doing CSR activity to some extent even if they are not calling it that, e.g. you have elements of responsible business practice that cover positive impacts on the environment, social value and your workforce. You just need to measure it.
2. Cheer up
You will almost certainly be better than you think you are, a lot of basic CSR is just common sense such as H&S, pollution prevention, employee engagement programmes etc...
3. Always approach CSR as win/win
There should be a business benefit in engagement in every area of CSR, otherwise it will not be sustainable (in other words you will stop doing it). This often applies to a company’s community involvement where business principles can go out of the window. The right community involvement can have major business benefits for your company. It can reflect your brand values, improve employee motivation and help attract the best people and will therefore offer long term support and excellent community partnerships.
4. Draw up a brief gap analysis on your CSR activity and then look at the potential business benefits of filling in the gaps
Simply becoming pro-active on this agenda will improve the way your main stakeholders view the company, be they Investors, Employees, Customers etc. Improving environmental procedures for example, often leads to cost savings in the business, and attracts the attention of your customer base.
5. Appoint a champion for each of the areas of Community, Environment and Workplace
Form a small steering group to benchmark progress and keep momentum. Set a fun competition to see which champion can bring the most business benefit over the first year. This immediately gives a business focus to your CSR activity.
6. Appoint your Community Champion from the HR or Business development sides of your business
This will ensure a business focus to Community engagement. Often the first person to volunteer for this role may be so passionate about the community etc that business benefits (and therefore focussed connectivity to your business) disappear.
7. Appoint your Environment Champion from the Finance Team
Improved environmental performance and cost savings go hand in hand. Finance people are passionate about cost savings!
8. Appoint a CSR champion from procurement or marketing
Risk reduction and a competitive edge on selling mean a lot to these people! Set them a challenge to find the most innovative ways to use CSR to further enhance your product or service offering.
9. Appoint your Workplace Champion from HR or Operations
No surprises here but operational involvement is as important as HR.
10. Contact Collins McHugh!
We are the best at what we do. From initial strategic planning, to implementation and reporting, we offer a bespoke service for your company wherever you are on the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. Contact us today to see how we can help your business.