One more acronym, one less acronym… A certain confusion still sometimes reigns, and CSR always needs to acquire greater visibility and notoriety in order to be perfectly understood by all managers and employees. In addition, there is often a conflation of meaning with Corporate Social Networks (also abbreviated CSR). However, Social Responsibility has very different issues from internal communication tools.
Corporate social responsibility
CSR is a strategy which consists of a company integrating sustainable development issues into its activities. This translates into concrete actions:
- reduce waste,
- optimize energy consumption,
- or even improve well-being and human relationships.
Even if this strategy is today more and more applied in structures. Many companies do not sufficiently promote their actions, which could nevertheless greatly benefit their visibility and notoriety.
The maturity of companies remains heterogeneous depending on their size. If we look at the barometer data from recent years (such as the BuzzPress survey for NoosGlobal among 3,000 executives):
- More than four in ten managers (42%) say they manage to involve their employees and customers in their CSR and ESG strategy.
- As for mid-sized companies, only 39% declare a strategy actually in place.
- For SMEs, 36% of managers mention a strategy that is still “under construction”.
- Finally, among VSEs, almost half (47%) admitted to having no strategy in preparation, compared to only two in ten (19%) having a complete approach or currently being deployed.
To understand the trajectory of this awareness, we must go back to the major founding meetings. From 2019, the Giverny Forum dedicated to CSR brought together economic, political and social stakeholders. Surveys at the time (notably the Ifop study carried out among 1,005 people, including 621 workers) already highlighted the beginnings of the current reality of CSR.
What does the Pacte law say?
According to the lessons learned from these consultations, the Pacte law marked a turning point by recognizing the possibility for a company to provide itself with a “raison d’être”, making it possible to include CSR directly in its statutes.
- 75% of those surveyed support this principle.
- 34% claim that it allows companies to set objectives in the service of the general interest.
- 21% state that the more the company gives “meaning” to its activity, the more value it creates.
- 20% consider that its primary mission remains to create employment.
Conversely25% of respondents still think that the sole purpose of a company is to be profitable, qualifying the “raison d’être” as a marketing operation. This opposition remains significant and echoes the social tensions in the world of work, where a lack of meaning can lead to employee burnout.
CSR? Do you know?
Historically, only a third of citizens said they were familiar with the concept of CSR, even though more than half were interested in it. The younger generations quickly took the lead: among 18-24 year olds, 42% assiduously followed the news on this theme. However, on the ground, 38% of workers could not say with certainty whether a CSR approach was actively engaged within their own structure.
However, highlighting your CSR approach only has obvious advantages in a global context where the climate, ethics and well-being of employees have become essential:
- 74% of consumers say they are more willing to buy a product offered by a company that promotes such an approach.
- 70% claim that they would be more loyal to him.
People at the center of concerns
People and the environment are two values that have become major strategic issues. Respectively at 22% and 19%, environmental protection as well as the improvement of working conditions (and the well-being of employees) are the criteria most strongly associated with the definition of CSR. The expectations are clear: companies must prioritize these two pillars. On the other hand, with only 3% of responses at the time, diversity within organizations did not yet appear to be a priority subject for management, although this theme has largely become established since.
Company leaders and the State, two pivots for CSR?
Today, business leaders are the people who best understand the workings of CSR. Indeed, they are “more attentive to the costs and regulatory constraints that it creates”, particularly with the deployment of the new European transparency directives.
However, this responsibility should not rest on their shoulders alone. These same leaders believe that the State and end consumers also constitute essential pivots for generalizing the application of CSR on a large scale.
A world where everyone has a role to play
In conclusion, each actor in society has a crucial role to play in this transition:
Consumers, by selecting the most virtuous products in social and environmental matters… even if, here again, the question of budget in times of inflation can sometimes slow down responsible purchases.
The State, through the implementation of judicious laws and regulatory frameworks.
Business leaders, through relevant integration of CSR approaches and through the mobilization of all their teams.
Employees, by developing responsible and environmentally friendly practices on a daily basis.
