Corporate social responsibility is one result of corporations going global, with about 80% of the businesses surveyed in seven countries developing some type of strategy or program, according to the 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Pilot Study.
The Society for Human Resource Management’s study found that practices ranged from donating to local charities to monitoring global fair labor standards.
“Organizations are increasingly assessing the social and environmental impact of their business decisions,” president and CEO Susan R. Meisinger said in a statement.
HR professionals in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, and the United States were surveyed.
The report shows that 64% of respondents from China think providing company-sponsored volunteer events after work hours is the best method of involving employees in these programs.
However, 72% of respondents in the United States, 68% in Canada, and 66% in Australia value employee recognition as the best way to involve employees in corporate social responsibility programs.
About 66% of HR professionals in Australia, Canada, China, India, Mexico, and the United States promote their organizations’ efforts via a corporate publication, with nearly 80% of HR professionals in Brazil relying on the same internal communication, the report says.
The report also shows that more than 60% of businesses in Brazil consider the overall impact of their business decisions on corporate social responsibility policies, with 47% of HR professionals in the United States and 26% of HR professionals in Mexico saying the same thing.
So who is ultimately responsible for creating the strategies? In India, 32% of HR professionals think that task should rest with the CEO. In Canada, 32% of HR professionals think it should be a responsibility of the senior management team. And in Mexico, 41% think it should be a duty of the board of directors.
The Society for Human Resource Management says it is forming a new special expertise panel on corporate social responsibility.