CSR, corporate responsibility, is a pillar of your organization: come and talk about it at the Engagé RSE 2023 national annual meeting.
Concerned about their social and environmental impact, companies are increasingly attracted to the concept of CSR. Before taking the plunge, it’s essential to understand why and how to develop a corporate social responsibility approach, and to identify the means to effectively evaluate this strategy.
Why develop a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) approach?
Implementing a responsible strategy is not a restrictive approach: on the contrary, it’s an opportunity to improve your company’s operations, economic performance and environmental impact.
CSR enables us to adopt and demonstrate more ethical, transparent and agile behavior. It also promises greater resistance and resilience in the event of an economic or health crisis, such as COVID-19. Developing a CSR approach means securing your company and your employees: guaranteed health and social protection, vacation and unemployment policies, teleworking solutions and QWL optimization…
The benefits are both internal and external. CSR makes it easier to integrate into international markets! In Europe, for example, many companies are sensitive to the need to comply with certain international standards, such as
ISO 26000
How do you set up a CSR approach?
Before taking the plunge, it’s a good idea to take stock of the company’s current situation, by means of a diagnosis. It is essential to identify the ethical needs, the key issues, the existing measures, but also the risks to be anticipated…
This diagnosis enables us to prioritize sustainable development issues, targeting one or more of the
SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
. By following the guidelines of a benchmark such as the voluntary ISO 26000 standard, a CSR policy can be implemented in a structured way. To find out more, download our brochure ”
ISO 26000: a concrete response to the implementation of the SDGs by companies
”
Secondly, the idea is to raise awareness and involve all the players concerned in a strategy of social responsibility. A widespread CSR culture means an optimized strategy!
Once the strategy has been defined and the players involved, it’s time for the action plan. The important thing is to set realistic goals, so that you can stick to them and achieve your objectives. We recommend drawing up an official document, such as a charter, to formalize and disseminate our commitment through concrete actions.
How do you assess your CSR approach?
Once initiated, the corporate social responsibility strategy must be monitored through a CSR report. This CSR report is used to measure, monitor and communicate the results of your actions.
The monitoring of a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) approach is generally complemented by an evaluation.
So you can :
- Carry out a self-assessment, directly online, such as
DiagRSE online AFNOR Certification
. You review 20 fundamental CSR criteria, according to ISO 26000. Remote control by an assessor is possible, and results in the issue of a certificate only for organizations committed to achieving the Engagé RSE label within one year. - Encourage an on-site assessment with a CSR expert, who will evaluate the integration of ISO 26000 best practices into your strategy. Thanks to this voluntary approach, you can obtain
the Engagé RSE label
label and highlight your exemplary nature.
Discover 100 CSR and sustainable development questions, by Alain Jounot
