Hopefully you’ve noticed that companies have made a major shift with their commitments to their communities, their people and the environment. More and more, industries are embracing the practice of taking ownership and being responsible for the impact of their actions while still achieving favorable results.

It’s called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and it is the ongoing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of their workforce, families, the environment and their local communities. Some organizations also adopt the accounting framework called the Triple Bottom Line – People, Planet, Profits – to measure their CSR efforts.

The conventional thought is that millennials are driving this change. That may be true, but there would be no Tom’s Shoes if there wasn’t first Newman’s Own and Ben & Jerry’s. What has changed is greater globalization, increased access to information, competitive pressure, technology and social media, and greater awareness and urgency about environmental issues.

Whatever the reason, it’s clear that companies are taking corporate social responsibility very seriously. What was once a few pages in the back of the annual report showcasing occasional charitable giving, is now a separate, highly detailed progress report on zero-waste, carbon-neutral and water-neutral production. Companies like Google, BMW, Disney and Microsoft continually make the list of companies with top socially conscious reputations globally. And experts predict that very soon, some form of Generally Accepted Sustainability Practices will be adopted and rating agencies will start handing out CSR grades.

At Powers Resource Center, we deeply support this movement towards embracing corporate social responsibility principles. Our greatest satisfaction is working with companies that are integrating socially conscious practices into their strategic planning and team building practices. We’ve been supporting leadership and communication for 15 years, and we applaud this trend.

It’s not always easy, however. Committing to corporate citizenship practices is admirable, and even necessary in today’s business climate, but what are the challenges businesses have felt during this evolution? We are interested in learning more about the process that organizations undertake to incorporate corporate social responsibility into their business practices.

Please share your thoughts on what you are experiencing. What challenges are you facing with incorporating corporate social responsibility into your culture? How has it effected your leadership goals? Has it increased your employee engagement and job satisfaction? Are your recruits asking about your company’s socially conscious policies?

Does corporate social responsibility have a real seat at the table when strategic planning occurs?

Answers to these questions will help PRC become a better strategic partner. Give us the inside story on your successes and challenges here https://www.powersresourcecenter.com/contact/ We appreciate your candor! It will help us learn about the best practices our clients are using so that we might emulate what is working.