A business that is socially conscious is always more profitable and better regarded by the public compared to one that is not. Receiving tax deductions for donations to charity is just one piece of the puzzle and it is not the most important one. Customers and employees alike hold in higher regard companies that pay attention to the needs of a community and are socially responsible. We all instinctively feel the need of belonging to something greater than ourselves. We want to make a positive impact on the world and the people in it.
Working in and with a socially responsible company makes the world a better place while promoting the business itself. All businesses like to make these claims, but not so many are actually following through with it. It is not an easy feat to accomplish, especially for companies in their infancy and startups. Here are some steps to take in your quest to establishing social consciousness and integrating it into your company and brand identity.
What is social responsibility in business?
First, we need to define what we are talking about exactly. It is one of those buzzwords that is being thrown around with different meanings. What it really is, a duty that individuals and enterprises have to act in the best interest of their community, environment, and society in a globalized sense. Also, producing goods and services that do not compromise said elements is a given. It comes down about caring for other people and living beings in general and the environment we all cohabitate in for a sustainable and better future. It is a departure from purely profit-oriented work ethics.
The movement has gained momentum with other environmental movements like climate change activism, locally sourced provisioning and animal protection services. The environment and animals are no longer considered just commodities to make a buck off of. Businesses of all shapes and sizes are making increasing efforts to be socially responsible and make that known.
Social responsibility mission
One of the best ways to make a business socially conscious is to create a mission. Just like a company mission, business or vision statement, there needs to be one of a social variety. What we mean by it is that there needs to be an emphasis on how your company is going to make strives to help a chosen cause. Whether it be environmental, community-based or something else, the mission needs to be clear, transparent, easy for everyone to understand and above all else, it needs to be followed through.
Creating an unclear and vague social mission will confuse employees and demonstrate that maybe you yourself do not know what you are doing. A strategy, which comes right after a mission statement will not be given a chance to be properly formed. What are the resources your business can contribute to the cause? The mission statement needs to be simple in its transparency. A perfect statement is deeply integrated into the branding of the company. Every industry giant has it, pick one and think deeply about how they have integrated their mission statement into the brand logo itself sometimes.
Realism and overreaching
Your goals need to be realistic. Everyone wants to save the world, but the best even industry giants can do is make it just a tad bit better than it was. What are the goals that you can effectively achieve? There need to be a couple of lists of goals, both short and long-term, that you want to achieve. What does it mean to achieve these accomplishments effectively?
That means setting up realistic objectives that you can accomplish without actually greatly disrupting everyday business operations. For both short and long-term goals, you need to pick and address an immediate issue within the general surrounding, provide solutions with the relevant resources you have at your disposal and educate and create awareness of that issue.
Education
Your entire teams need to be brought up to speed. They will require help in various ways in order for them to truly understand and internalize the methods and principles the new social awareness programme brings. This needs to be done at every step of the process. From the issues the company is addressing, to why and how you plan to do it. The education process itself depends on a multitude of factors like the size of the workforce and the industry area and the niche you find yourselves in.
Design activities that will promote education like creating custom collar pins, every staff member should wear some days.
Whether it be meetings, informative memos, specializations, certificates or hands-on approaches with instructors, you need to determine what is the best option for you. Usually, it is a combination of two or more methods that provide optimal results. The end goal is for the employees to be able to answer any and all customer inquiries and to be motivated to join the cause.
A willing workforce
Recruiting becomes much easier when the company hiring is known for being socially conscious. People will want to work for a company that stands for something more than itself and its profits. A reputation built around social consciousness will result in a high-quality workforce being pulled in whenever there is an open position available. The employees that are hired will be more productive and will be inclined to spend more time working, all because they know that their efforts are contributing to something greater than simply paying the bills.
Research has proven that employees who have a clear purpose have longer tenure in their roles and were much more likely to speak greatly of their company and employer. It affects morale, employee retention and has positive effects on employee commitment and job satisfaction. You can even take this a step further and make your workforce a part of the social consciousness program.
A portion of your workforce can consist of people with disabilities. It is a noble cause to offer people with less than optimal abilities a chance to rejoin the workforce as equally productive members of society. Navigating this particular workforce can be very complicated, but also very beneficial. For any further help on the specifics, you can consult companies like javad marandi on how to best apply these employees in your company for the best mutual benefit.
Sustainability
Environment and many other issues are becoming an increasing concern for an increasing number of people as time goes on. Old business practices from all the way back in the industrial revolution have brought unsustainable methods that have been outdated for some time. Companies are making more effort than ever before to correct these mistakes towards the environment and all beings, sentient or not, living in it. Sustainability of business operations goes toe in toe with reducing environmental impact as more eco-friendly and mindful methods mean less overhead in its various forms. This all sounds very complicated and abstract but is actually very simple and close to home for the most part. Also, find out what Centrepoint is doing to address the homeless crisis
For instance, cultivating a paperless environment is a great way to start. The world is becoming increasingly digitalized and thus, we can greatly reduce our wasted paper footprint. Recycling in much the same way will do wonders by promoting a culture of reusing perfectly good raw materials like plastic and metal instead of buying new and therefore more expensive variants. Eco-friendly parts of infrastructure like plumbing and lighting are a by-product of the technological advancement we have been witnessing for a few decades now. Replacing single-use plastic with sustainable eco polythene products can be a perfect transition to a low carbon economy. Lowering carbon footprints will contribute towards a cleaner, more sustainable carbon economy.
The LED lighting is better than its old, incandescent counterparts in every way. It offers more light while wasting just a fraction of the power required for it to operate. Long gone are the days of lead piping which has been found long ago to be one of the most toxic metals known to man. Copper or PVC piping is the standard for some time now and brings much more to the world than just water to your kitchen sink. Energy is the main factor to discuss when talking about being socially conscious. Using less of it benefits everyone.
Creating and promoting energy-efficient policies, like leaving no lights or digital devices on when not needed will reduce your energy footprint and with it, your bills. Electronics affected by these policies will have much larger lifespans, as they are not wasting precious working hours by being idle. This especially goes for computers and other irreplaceable, modern office tools. Lastly, encourage, incentivize and promote any other practices that are particular for your industry and niche. There is always something that can be optimized without sacrificing the day-to-day operations of the business, but rather, improve upon it.
Social responsibility is an integral part of doing business in this heavily saturated, global marketplace we find ourselves in. Being socially responsible will not only be good for your bottom line but will get your company in front of the eyes of vide audiences. Showing that you are with the times, that you care about your employees, customers, but also about the environment and everyone and everything in it, is what will make your brand a household name.
