Management and CSR: implementing a CSR strategy

Employees play a key role in the success of any CSR strategy. In order to properly implement a CSR initiative, it has to be deployed effectively amongst employees. Here, we take a look at the key steps involved in successfully rolling out your CSR strategy to your teams.  

Raise employee awareness of CSR

By involving employees in its CSR strategy, a company is asking them to innovate, implement new practices and make a certain number of changes that may be somewhat destabilising. Given this, before asking teams to take any action, you must make sure you have their support and commitment. This begins with an initial phase of awareness of CSR issues. Managers must clearly describe the company's strategic orientations and CSR commitments, as well as the challenges and future impacts of the approach. In particular, it is important to emphasise the importance of the contribution of employees. Leaders and managers must share their vision with full transparency. This vision must be broken down into precise and measurable objectives, the impact of which will be evaluated using the performance indicators defined beforehand. This preliminary step will help employees to find meaning in and to feel involved in a strong and engaging project.  

Train employees in CSR

To ensure that teams feel implicated, they need to be aware of the challenges of sustainable development, and understand the social and environmental concerns related to CSR. What are the main CSR principles, and what is the ISO 26000 standard? What CSR actions can be implemented? How can CSR be applied at all levels of the company and with the various stakeholders? How can CSR generate return on investment? Teams must be trained in these different issues, and specific skills should be developed for each profession (HR, supply chain, marketing, etc.). To do this, you could solicit the advice of an external consultant such as an interim CSR manager. An expert in corporate social responsibility, these individuals intervene for a fixed period of time within a company, ensuring that the CSR strategy is properly rolled out to teams.  

Mobilising employees

To mobilise employees in the implementation of CSR actions on a daily basis, you could consider appointing a CSR manager or setting up a dedicated committee. This will allow for a single point of contact who will act as a link between management and employees. This contact could oversee the proper implementation of the actions deployed (lower energy consumption, waste reduction, new recruitment policy, improvement of the quality of life at work, etc.). It can also be beneficial to solicit collective intelligence by involving all individuals in the development of the CSR action plan. This could be achieved by conducting surveys or by setting up working groups, discussion groups, idea boxes, etc. Managers could also organise events focusing on sustainable development and environmental protection, such as ecological challenges, awareness-raising seminars or team building events. This will strengthen ties and unite teams around a common, meaningful mission.  

Communicating with your teams

One of the major challenges for companies is to succeed in carrying out sustainable CSR actions that are part of a continuous improvement process. To motivate teams over the long term, it is essential to regularly inform them of the impact and results of the various actions undertaken. This will reinforce the commitment and involvement of each individual. This communication undeniably involves the implementation of audit and reporting tools to evaluate the progress and results of CSR actions. Transparent internal communication is therefore essential, but this is also true externally. The company must communicate regularly on its CSR practices to gain credibility and to establish itself as a responsible company in the eyes of its stakeholders. Are you finding it a challenge to implement your CSR strategy? At WAYDEN, we can mobilise an interim CSR manager with 15 years of experience in high-level positions and solid expertise in CSR and sustainable development. This expert will be able to help you deploy your CSR strategy in an efficient and sustainable way.