The role of HR in corporate social responsibility

 Introduction

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities have become growing in importance in today's changing business landscape. These programs seek to incorporate ethical behavior, community involvement, and environmental principles into business operations. HR specialists are essential to the development and execution of CSR initiatives in businesses. HR departments can promote positive social impact and improve the general well-being of their workforce by integrating employee wellness and engagement with company social responsibility (CSR).

              Figure 1/Sustainability development with CSR

Understanding corporate social responsibility (CSR)

A company's attempts to conduct business in an ethical and sustainable manner are included in its corporate social responsibility. It entails accepting accountability for the effects the business has on a range of stakeholders, such as the environment, consumers, communities, and employees. CSR projects can take many different forms, such as lowering carbon footprints, enacting fair trade laws, and encouraging diversity and equality in the workplace.

The evolving role of HR in CSR

Recruiting, managing talent, and employee benefits have historically been the purview of human resources departments. But as businesses come to understand the value of CSR, HR's function has expanded to include promoting a socially conscious atmosphere within the company

Figure 2/Source: sustainability television

Aligning Values and Culture: Promoting a culture that is in line with the business's CSR objectives is the responsibility of HR experts. They are essential in explaining the company's principles to staff members, emphasizing the value of corporate social responsibility, and creating an atmosphere that encourages moral behaviour and sustainability. HR divisions and executive leadership can work together to create procedures and policies that promote CSR values across the entire organization.

workforce Recruitment and Retention: an organization's capacity to draw in and hold on to top personnel can be greatly impacted by CSR programs. The HR departments bear the task of incorporating CSR objectives into their hiring procedures to guarantee that potential candidates align with the organization's dedication to social responsibility.

Employee Engagement: HR specialists serve as encouragers of employees participating in CSR projects. They make it possible for staff members to participate in volunteer programs, community service projects, and charitable enterprises by providing them with the means, time, and expertise.

 CSR-HR Interface

The framework presented in Figure 1 summarizes example of three CSR-HR interfaces:  employee communication and engagement, diversity management and community relationships. What is clear in Figure 1 is that HR can play a crucial mediating role in bridging the gap between CSR objectives and plans, and actual implementation and outcomes at the level of employee engagement, diversity management and community development

                           Figure 3/CSR-HR Interface

The CSR framework and mediating HR role outlined above correspond closely in turn to the recent characterization of HR as an agent of change within changing HR priorities and agendas (Ulrich, 1997). As an agent of change, HR must go beyond designing and delivering HR processes efficiently to focus on managing employees contribution, fostering employee commitment, managing culture, and increasing strategic fit and integration. These new roles of HR are increasingly advocated in the Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) literature  (Schuler & Jackson, 2006).

Conclusion

There are significant overlaps between HR and CSR efforts and principles. HR is in charge of developing, advancing, and fortifying the CSR concept at the workplace and coordinating it with the goals and objectives of the community. Setting the tone and bringing the CSR agenda to the forefront is largely dependent on the role, voice, and experience of HR. In the future, many firms will face serious challenges in further integrating HR with CSR. The CSR initiatives are facilitated and greased by sound HR practices. HR needs to respond to the call from CSR or risk missing the opportunity.

References

Ali Eli Dirani, Dima Jamali & Melanie J Ashleigh, 2009. Corporate Social Responsibility What Role for Human Resources. British Academy of Management, March.

Boxall P & Purcell J, 2000. Strategic human resource management: where have we come from and where should be going. International Journal of Management Review.

Corporate Wellness Magazine, 2023. Corporate Wellness Magazine. [Online]
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[Accessed 31 March 2024].

Schuler & Jackson, 2006. Strategic Human Resource Managment (HHRM). In: s.l.:s.n.

Ulrich, D., 1997. Human Resource Champions-Next agenda for adding value and delivering result. Issue Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.