Posts Tagged ‘CSR’

CSR – why employees love working for Turner

25 Apr

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      The cynics of corporate social responsibility (CSR) will say that it’s a waste of time and money; “we don’t have the resources”, “it’s impossible to measure return on investment”, “how can we justify giving our employees time off to volunteer or mentor other people”. But I ask you, what’s the cost to you personally, your business and workforce of not embracing CSR?

      Nick Hart, head of CSR for Turner Broadcasting, recounts a story of how he led a group of volunteer employees to Rwanda for a week to help build a school in 2010, but came across a boy with a cleft palate. A boy whose life had been ravaged by this facial disfigurement, lacked self-confidence, and didn’t fit in among his peers. Moved by this scene, Nick, on behalf of Turner, arranged for an operation to take place. A few months later after his visit, Nick received a heartfelt letter and a photo of a joyful, happy boy flashing the warmest smile. At this moment, Nick’s eyes begin to mist and he chokes up. No need for words, his emotional response says it all – a young life, transformed, forever. Read the rest of this entry »

      Mentoring – how it feeds the soul

      18 Apr

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          Ever thought about mentoring? According to Andy Coxall, who carried out a year-long mentoring placement with Chance UK, a charity that works with 5-11 year old children who have behavioural problems, it gives you ‘soul food’.

          So why did Andy offer to spend a year mentoring an eight year old boy who had been emotionally abused, suffered mental as well as health issues and had mood swings that descended into red mists? Read the rest of this entry »

          Responsible business campaign – socially responsible leadership

          01 Mar

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              I recently interviewed director of human resources at Marks & Spencer, Tanith Dodge, about how leaders can build emotional connection with their employees. I asked her questions such as:

              * How do you sustain employee loyalty, commitment and pride in the brand?
              * How do you emotionally engage with your people so they act in a socially responsible way?
              * What are your values?
              * How do you embed your values from the top all the way down through the organisation?
              * How do you empower your people?
              * How do you create community spirit within the business – what’s the ROI?

              Tanith’s answers were enlightening. Here’s a powerful statement she made during interview that really struck a chord with me:

              “The CSR function is not an add-on. Plan A is about how we do business. It’s a strong lever in demonstrating sustainable leadership, where we’re doing the right thing for our people, the community and the environment. We care about the lives of people and the world we live in. This makes employees feel really proud to work for M&S.” Read the rest of this entry »