Post by account_disabled on Feb 27, 2024 7:45:26 GMT 1
When a company begins the path of corporate social responsibility (CSR), it is normal for it to have certain doubts regarding how to proceed with its initiatives, especially in the communication aspect. How to communicate social responsibility? Should I talk publicly about the efforts my business makes? How should I do it? Will people take it well or will they consider that the company is not being honest? According to the Business Social Compliance Initiative , some of the most common reasons why a company is hesitant about whether or not to communicate its CSR are as follows. They do not have a CSR program implemented Even if you have some responsible practices, without a well-structured corporate responsibility strategy at the core of your business, it is logical that you do not want to communicate the minimum participation you are making. It's a good idea that, if you don't have a social responsibility plan in place, you at least know the position you're in. That is, identify and understand what your stakeholders expect from the business, what your suppliers do and, from there, build your own CSR. How do I communicate social responsibility? CSR communication can cause image problems Usually, within a company there is no area of social responsibility as such, at least not at the beginning. Employees who are dedicated to human resources, marketing or communication are suddenly appointed to be in charge of CSR. Since there is no real expert on the subject, few dare to communicate their responsible initiatives publicly; Furthermore, they may not consider CSR a priority. In this case, it is best to proceed with caution and seek advice from an expert communications agency . Communicating social responsibility means there is no turning back Some companies do not dare to communicate their CSR practices for one reason only: they believe that if they do so they will no longer be able to stop doing so... And it is true, once you have started to inform your stakeholders about what you do in terms of environment and society, they will continue to expect communication from you. You can't just publish a report or release a video on one occasion; You need to be consistent or they will think that your previous communication was just an attempt to improve your reputation and not a real change in your culture.
Again, the advice is to rely on an experienced New Zealand WhatsApp Number agency that will advise you at least in the first stage; Afterwards, you can continue on your own. CSR will distract consumers' attention Does communicating social responsibility initiatives mean that people will no longer notice other aspects of my company? This is the question that arises in corporates and, therefore, they do not want to mix their regular communication with that of CSR. Furthermore, they feel that there are more important features to highlight about the business. Terrible confusion and error. Once implemented, social responsibility is an integral part of a company and not communicating it is a mistake. CSR is not a distraction, on the contrary, it will attract the attention of consumers and make them more interested in the activities of your company; This is demonstrated by a study . Furthermore, communicating it can generate engagement , not to mention that the doors of sustainable marketing open. There is a fact that we must always take into account: CSR communication brings both benefits and risks, it all depends on how you manage it and how you prepare sustainability reports. Annual reports, part of social responsibility communication Although publishing this type of document is not mandatory, it is vital so that your stakeholders consider your company trustworthy and verify with hard data the impact of your responsible practices. As such, there is no universal reporting standard, but there are several guides – such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), ISO 26000 and the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) – that can help you when you start planning. yours. Likewise, you can review the reports that other companies have made and find out which format best suits the needs of your company. Example of Tiffany & Co's sustainability report More business organizations are communicating the progress they have made in social responsibility, even as the growth of companies publishing sustainability reports is slow, according to a survey by CorporateRegister.com. Although financial crises cause corporations to decide not to invest in expenses that they do not consider urgent or necessary, sustainability reports are becoming a trend. According to an international study carried out by KPMG, 93% of the 250 largest companies in the world have adopted annual reporting.
As we already mentioned, this practice is not exclusive to large business groups; Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) can also join the movement, of course, adjusting the standards to the characteristics and dimensions of their business. What happens if I don't communicate Social Responsibility? Depending on the size and sector of your company, your CSR strategies or your communication may go more or less unnoticed by both stakeholders and external organizations. For example, a company with fewer than 500 employees has a lower profile than one with a thousand; Likewise, fast fashion or food businesses are more monitored by civil society than a branding agency , as demonstrated by Greenpeace campaigns . example of a csr communication plan The supply chain is another element that you should not forget, since it will be under the same scrutiny as the rest of your company. Searching and working from the beginning with suppliers committed to CSR is an essential step that, later, can prevent you from dealing with a crisis for not having ensured that the values and practices of your distributors and other third parties match those of your company. Usually, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are the ones that pay the most attention to private sector operations, and are almost always the first to point out if there is any suspicious activity or that is damaging to society or the environment. Lack of or poor CSR communication causes NGOs to be alerted against a possible greenwashing attempt or, in the worst case scenario, to think that the company is hiding some illicit activity. Now that social responsibility is in the constant focus of the media and social networks, not communicating your CSR practices or your future initiatives can bring a bad reputation to your company which, in turn, can cause your consumers to boycott your business. or change brands , since it is proven that people want products manufactured by corporations concerned about sustainability. Another problem you may face if you do not communicate your CSR is that some third party will then do it for you.
Again, the advice is to rely on an experienced New Zealand WhatsApp Number agency that will advise you at least in the first stage; Afterwards, you can continue on your own. CSR will distract consumers' attention Does communicating social responsibility initiatives mean that people will no longer notice other aspects of my company? This is the question that arises in corporates and, therefore, they do not want to mix their regular communication with that of CSR. Furthermore, they feel that there are more important features to highlight about the business. Terrible confusion and error. Once implemented, social responsibility is an integral part of a company and not communicating it is a mistake. CSR is not a distraction, on the contrary, it will attract the attention of consumers and make them more interested in the activities of your company; This is demonstrated by a study . Furthermore, communicating it can generate engagement , not to mention that the doors of sustainable marketing open. There is a fact that we must always take into account: CSR communication brings both benefits and risks, it all depends on how you manage it and how you prepare sustainability reports. Annual reports, part of social responsibility communication Although publishing this type of document is not mandatory, it is vital so that your stakeholders consider your company trustworthy and verify with hard data the impact of your responsible practices. As such, there is no universal reporting standard, but there are several guides – such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), ISO 26000 and the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) – that can help you when you start planning. yours. Likewise, you can review the reports that other companies have made and find out which format best suits the needs of your company. Example of Tiffany & Co's sustainability report More business organizations are communicating the progress they have made in social responsibility, even as the growth of companies publishing sustainability reports is slow, according to a survey by CorporateRegister.com. Although financial crises cause corporations to decide not to invest in expenses that they do not consider urgent or necessary, sustainability reports are becoming a trend. According to an international study carried out by KPMG, 93% of the 250 largest companies in the world have adopted annual reporting.
As we already mentioned, this practice is not exclusive to large business groups; Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) can also join the movement, of course, adjusting the standards to the characteristics and dimensions of their business. What happens if I don't communicate Social Responsibility? Depending on the size and sector of your company, your CSR strategies or your communication may go more or less unnoticed by both stakeholders and external organizations. For example, a company with fewer than 500 employees has a lower profile than one with a thousand; Likewise, fast fashion or food businesses are more monitored by civil society than a branding agency , as demonstrated by Greenpeace campaigns . example of a csr communication plan The supply chain is another element that you should not forget, since it will be under the same scrutiny as the rest of your company. Searching and working from the beginning with suppliers committed to CSR is an essential step that, later, can prevent you from dealing with a crisis for not having ensured that the values and practices of your distributors and other third parties match those of your company. Usually, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are the ones that pay the most attention to private sector operations, and are almost always the first to point out if there is any suspicious activity or that is damaging to society or the environment. Lack of or poor CSR communication causes NGOs to be alerted against a possible greenwashing attempt or, in the worst case scenario, to think that the company is hiding some illicit activity. Now that social responsibility is in the constant focus of the media and social networks, not communicating your CSR practices or your future initiatives can bring a bad reputation to your company which, in turn, can cause your consumers to boycott your business. or change brands , since it is proven that people want products manufactured by corporations concerned about sustainability. Another problem you may face if you do not communicate your CSR is that some third party will then do it for you.