Slider

In “The Marketing of Employee Volunteerism” by Peloza (2009), he discussed different ways on how firms heighten their investments in CSRs and how it yields a positive impact not only to the communities being served but also for the volunteers and the company as well. First, companies that present commitment to the causes they select, exert effort into participating in their own projects. Whenever they engage in volunteer work, people develop a deeper understanding of their advocacies which is the essence of CSR. Aside from this, the social impact of a company’s CSR volunteer program often leads to higher returns from their investment. Firms are expected to “receive increased rewards from the market” as a sign of support from those who also stand by their cause. It is a good mechanism that generates strong public trust and builds up a good image for the company. Moreover, companies that integrate their employees into CSR programs, appear to be “more desirable to potential employees  and report lower turnover costs.” This is because the employees are motivated by their ego, altruism, and organizational citizenship. Volunteer work is far different from the everyday mundaneness of the office life. Given participation in company CSR projects, employees are given the chance to engage with other people in their company outside of the workplace setting. Boosting their morale, they are given the opportunity to meet new people, represent their company, and satisfy their craving for new learning and social interaction. It also enhances the employees’ capacity for social exchange as they recognize the organizational citizenship among themselves, creating a mindset of working voluntarily for others.

Moreover, Peloza suggests that in order to craft an effective CSR program, firms must align it to their business model. He proposes that “firms can increase the value, and ultimately the competitive advantage, of their philanthropic investments through increased alignment between the charitable cause and business strategy; a more long-term partnership focus; and providing ‘in-kind donations’ such as equipment, expertise, and employee volunteers rather than more cash donations.” CSR programs that are in the same field where their business operates, allows a better communicative relationship between the company and the community. Given these, companies are encouraged to integrate their employees in their CSR programs through intra-organizational volunteerism wherein “an employer who develops the volunteer opportunity (including the selection of the charity partner) offers these opportunities to its employees.”

Companies that reach out to those in the grassroots and implement programs that are also in line with their businesses, create a nourishing process of development. It is suitable for the companies and communities to engage in long-term partnerships to form a more fruitful alliance geared towards sustainable development. Integrating employees into CSR activities is an ingenious way not only for companies fortifying public trust but also for the general public to gain consciousness of social realities.

It is clear that CSR is not just for the beneficiaries, nor is it just for the firms or employees. Under the right circumstances and direction, CSR can be for everyone involved. There is something positive to take away and to give on all sides and that is what is sometimes left out of the common conversation on corporate social responsibility.

Reference

Peloza, John, et al. “The Marketing of Employee Volunteerism.” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 85, 2009, pp. 371–386. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40294847

The first step to effective CSR is to analyze and reflect if the company is conscious of social realities. Corporate Social Responsibility does not require only external intervention. It can also be done in a company’s internal management. Ensuring the wellness of one’s labor force and adhering to fair and just labor practices also answer the call of social responsibility. Moreover, it is crucial that a company assesses the social impact of its business operations, whether it is on the environment or on society. When it comes to external intervention, it is important to take into account where the company’s competencies and abilities meet society’s needs to ensure maximum impact. This will be the ultimate starting point of all CSR endeavors as they strengthen public trust through intervention in vulnerable, underprivileged communities.

When and where do we begin?

There is an opportunity to associate a company’s CSR programs to focus on proactive projects that advocate for a holistic sustainable development to give the underprivileged an opportunity for social mobility and a better quality of life. The Philippines is currently faced with a plethora of challenges, among these are:

1.     Environment

In a country that ranks 3rd highest in terms of vulnerability to climate change and 4th most disaster-prone country in the world, the Philippines stands defenseless against the wrath of the environment that has already washed away lives of many Filipinos such as in 2015 when Typhoon Haiyan hit Leyte and took at least 6,000 lives.

2.     Health

There are also problems in health as for the growing HIV infection rate with 11,103 new reported cases in 2017 (DOH) and the significant rise in the suicide rate wherein at least six individuals commit suicide every day. In poverty-stricken areas, hunger and malnutrition remain to be the pressing problem among children. For the Philippines, general and even mental health which has become consequential concerns.

3.     Education

Despite the ability to produce quality and driven student, Filipino public schools are in deep need of classrooms and supplies to support their schooling. Because of the growing population and poverty, more and more children fail to grab the opportunity of going to school, which is why scholarships and donations are one of the main things that underprivileged people look forward to.

4.     Other sectors

Aside from the aforementioned, there is a myriad of sectors where help would be appreciated such as landless farmers who were slighted by the poor implementation of agrarian reform, indigenous people who are being harassed out of their ancestral lands, orphans, out-of-school youth, internally displaced people who came from conflict areas in Mindanao and many others. There is no shortage of sectors, areas, fields or regions that could use extra assistance.

With everything society is facing, the pressure to address these key issues and to aid these marginalized sectors is tremendous and although it will be a long arduous process, society has to act with urgency and attentiveness. Now is the best time to take part in helping others. If not now, then when?

Improving Corporate Social Responsibility

Given the ever-changing context of society, it is imperative that we craft a deeper understanding of CSR. Corporate Social Responsibility is usually thought of as outside intervention by a company; as philanthropic, but there is an argument to be made that CSR should become more developmental than philanthropic. Increasingly complex social issues have brought about the need to move past donation and philanthropy, and into CSR becoming an ethos of a business itself. This means that in line with the terms “social responsibility” companies should make sure that all their endeavors are socially responsible and that all their practices and work environment also promote social justice. When it comes to actual Corporate Social Responsibility projects, new CSR implementers should take the vast complexity of social issues into account and create dynamic, long lasting and sustainable solutions for the communities and sectors they engage.

References

Acuna, Melo. “Growing Number of Young Filipinos Committing Suicide.” UCANews, The Union of Catholic Asian News, 12 Mar. 2018, www.ucanews.com/news/growing-number-of-young-filipinos-committing-suicide/81759

Flores, Hele. “Climate Change Vulnerability: Philippines Ranks 3rd.” The Philippine Star, 21 Mar. 2018, www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/21/1798866/climate-change-vulnerability-philippines-ranks-3rd

Lapeña, Carmela. “SPECIAL REPORT: Suicide and the Pinoy Youth.” GMA News Online, 17 July 2015, www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/healthandwellness/524070/special-report-suicide-and-the-pinoy-youth/story/

Mogato, Manuel, and Michael Perry. “Philippines Has Highest HIV Infection Growth Rate in Asia-Pacific: U.N.” Reuters, 1 Aug. 2017, www.reuters.com/article/us-health-aids-philippines/philippines-has-highest-hiv-infection-growth-rate-in-asia-pacific-u-n-idUSKBN1AH3CW

Montenegrogma, Bea. “Philippines 4th Most Disaster-Prone Country in the World – UN Report.” GMA News Online, GMA News Online, 25 Nov. 2015, www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/weather/545760/philippines-4th-most-disaster-prone-country-in-the-world-un-report/story/

Regencia, Ted. “Philippines: HIV Cases up 3,147 Percent in 10 Years.” Israeli–Palestinian Conflict | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 19 Feb. 2018, www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/philippines-hiv-cases-3147-percent-10-years-180219090618348.html

By Patrick Martinet (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/essilor-manufacturing-philippines-inc-corporate-social-martinet/)

During the “Business Awards Night Ceremony” June 7th, 2018 organized by CCI France-Philippines, Essilor Manufacturing Philippines Inc (EMPI) was recognized for its Corporate Social Responsibility actions by France-Philippines United Action through their Executive Director, Ms. Elodie Turpin.

This Special Price and Award, recognizes Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions conducted in 2017 to contribute to eradicate uncorrected poor vision and “improving lives by improving sight.”

This 2018 Business Awards Night organized for the 30th anniversary of CCI France-Philippines has honored innovative actions across all industries as well as social contributions through their commitment to community and environment’s sustainability. This special award given to EMPI is in effect a recognition for all the actions done by Essilor companies in the Philippines.

Patrick Martinet, EMPI Managing Director, informed that among the 7.4 billion people around the world who need to protect and preserve their vision, if only from the harmful effects of the sun, more than 4.6 billion of them really need vision correction to improve their sight (due to myopia, presbyopia,, etc. ). But only 2.1 billion have access, leaving room for a large population of 2.5 billion people with uncorrected vision problems.

This is the reason why Essilor decided to eradicate uncorrected poor vision. So a broad program was launched through Essilor Vision Foundation and supported by the group’s different entities in more than 100 countries worldwide.

In 2017, around 20,000 people benefited from EMPI’s visual screening, about 40 % have needed vision correction, and destitute people as well as school children were awarded eyeglasses.

All these actions have been made possible with the strong support of local opticians and full involvement of many EMPI’s employees who are proud to contribute to the Essilor Group Mission.

June 7 2018, Pernod Ricard’s Responsib’All day sees its 18,500 employees spending a whole day away from their daily tasks to engage in over 100 local community projects. Pernod Ricard is one of the world’s leading wines and spirits companies.

For this 8th edition, the group chose to focus on SDG6 “clean water and sanitation” and SDG15 “life on land”. In line with Pernod Ricard’s commitment against plastic pollution, this year, 40 projects are dedicated to clean water where employees clean lakes, rivers and beaches, in various countries around the globe including the Philippines.