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Taking Social Responsibility (SR) Practices Seriously
Organizations around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the need and benefits of socially responsible (SR) behaviour. Where the activities of organizations are coming under increasing scrutiny by various stakeholders it has never been more important to integrate SR practices into the every day practices and decisions of your organisation. The reported benefits of implementing SR are many but key are enhanced reputation, contribution to sustainability, cost savings and competitive advantage. Others included enhanced relationships with suppliers, customers, community and government agencies as well as employees. It can also improve investment opportunities.
Most organisations have embraced the idea of social responsibility but how much have they actually changed their behaviour as a result? While there is increasing interest and engagement in SR, for many it is still largely a bolt-on activity aimed at enhancing public profile. Getting involved in community projects or participating in philanthropic activities can bring benefits locally but Social Responsibility is about more that this. Organizations need to consider labour practices, and environment, human rights, consumer issues and communication and engagement with stakeholders.
Others have taken SR a step further by integrating it into their core business activities and thereby embedding it in their central management processes. These organizations tend to be in the minority but there is growing evidence that others are keen to emulate this. Practice in this area is evolving with a wide range of approaches available.
There is no single correct method of implementing SR. However with the publication of - ISO 26000 – Guidance on Social Responsibility, in November 2010 there is now an internationally agreed standard in this area.
Publication of ISO 26000
The standard is intended to promote a common understanding in the field of social responsibility. It is a guidance standard aimed at all type of organizations, i.e. businesses, public sector, NGO's etc. For this reason the word "corporate" was dropped from the title of the standard. The guidance in the standard addresses terms and definitions, background and trends in SR, principles and practices, seven core subjects, integrating and implementing SR throughout an organization.
It specifically states in the scope that the standard is not a management system standard and is not intended for certification purposes. It is intended to assist organization in contributing to sustainable development and to promote a common understanding in the field of social responsibility.
For more information see
Discovering ISO 26000.
Currently NSAI is running an offer of €50 instead of €80 on copies of ISO 26000 until the end of March 2011.
BITCI - Business Working Responsibly Mark
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At the launch: B-F, L-R: Barry O’ Leary, CEO, IDA Ire; Maurice Buckley, CEO, NSAI; Paul Rellis, MD, Microsoft Ire; Kieran McGowan, Chairperson, BITC; Tina Roche, CEO, BITC.
Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) have been a promoter of corporate social responsibility practices in Ireland since 2000. Part of their work involves advising large organizations on best practices and establishing networks for peer learning.
A recent study by BITCI and Ipsos MRBI shows that nearly two thirds of Irish CEOs believe that corporate responsibility gives them a competitive advantage but over 60% admitted they did not have any specific metrics in place to measure their corporate responsibility activities. From an international perspective, 86% of Irish CEOs believe corporate responsibility can play a role in rebuilding Ireland’s corporate reputation.
This month (March 3rd), BITCI launched the first Irish audited Mark on corporate responsibility. The launch was made at a breakfast meeting attended by over 100 Irish CEOs. Already eight of Ireland’s top companies have signed up to be assessed for the Mark. |
The Mark has been developed by corporate responsibility experts Business in the Community Ireland after extensive consultation and research. The centre-piece of the Business Working Responsibly Mark is a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative online question-set that allows participating companies to assess a robust range of business risks and opportunities. In order to obtain the full certification by BITCI third party verification and audit of the questionnaire responses is conducted by NSAI, who are the verification partner for BITCI.
Maurice Buckley, CEO of NSAI who attended the launch said "This is a significant development that will help organizations adopt best practices in Corporate Responsibility. Ireland was an early mover in the adoption of
ISO 9001 in the 1990s and this may again be an opportunity to gain first mover advantage in this increasingly important area. NSAI is seeing a lot of interest in Corporate / Social Responsibility internationally and will support Irish business in adopting best practice".
In the development of the new Business Working Responsibility Mark, the significance of the new international standard ISO 26000 has not been overlooked. BITCI, who participated in the development of ISO 26000 through the
NSAI CSR Standards committee, have carried out a comparison of their Business Working Responsibly Mark against key sections of the standard.
For more information see the
BITC BWR - ISO 26000 comparison document.
Note: This comparison document is for information only and is not intended to be binding or to be current to updates or amendments of either document.
Tina Roche, CEO, BITC said “In the past ten years we have seen a real sea change in the attitudes of Irish companies towards corporate responsibility. Today it is about long term sustainability and responsible business practice. The Business Working Responsibly Mark, as an independently verified process, will help companies assess their corporate responsibility performance comprehensively.”