TM - April 2008 - (Page 58) • Thirty percent of respondents’ organizations have a corporate responsibility policy, and 22 percent are working on one. As the corporate responsibility movement continues to gain momentum, it is likely these numbers will increase. HR practitioners will strengthen their organizational impact by adding corporate responsibility to their business vocabulary. Some examples of corporate responsibility programs and policies being implemented by corporations include: • Workplace diversity. • Suitable working conditions. • Nonexploitation of workers, including discrimination and harassment policies. • Avoidance of child labor issues. • Work-life balance initiatives. • Social/community policies supporting volunteerism and charitable giving. • Going green programs, such as recycling and resource conservation. programs during training programs, this information is of particular relevance to hiring managers and talent leaders responsible for developing new-hire programming. Obstacles to Corporate Responsibility Costs and measurement challenges are among the most cited obstacles to corporate responsibility. The Grant Thorton 2007 Corporate Responsibility Survey reported the four greatest obstacles to successful execution of corporate responsibility programs are: • Focus on quarterly earnings or other short-term targets. • Cost of implementation. • Measuring and quantifying ROI. • Nonsupportive corporate culture. In its 2006 survey, “Reward Trumps Risk: How Business Perspectives on Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Are Changing,” The Conference Board reported the three greatest challenges citizenship programs currently face are: Those charged with talent management initiatives must create the connections, fill-in-the dots and piggyback policies in order to tap into the power corporate responsibility has to offer those in charge of recruiting, engaging and retaining employees. • Reducing carbon emissions footprints. • Partnering with environmentally friendly suppliers and companies. Apparently, the aforementioned programs are quite prominent. HR Magazine’s readership survey reported: • Seventy-seven percent encourage employee engagement/volunteer activities in the local community. • 24.6 percent encourage employee engagement/volunteer activities abroad. • 90.2 percent run a recycling policy in the workplace. • 32.8 percent offer green benefits, such as transport. • 13.1 percent offer an incentives program reflecting corporate citizenship. • Fifty-nine percent include corporate social responsibility/environmental issues in induction training. Recycling programs and employee volunteerism are the most prevalent corporate responsibility programs being reported. And since most employees learn about these April 2008 • Measuring results (75 percent). • Coping with limited financial and staffing resources (58 percent). • Aligning with business objectives (57 percent). These organizations seem to be in the minority, but some progressive companies have found ways to measure the effects of corporate responsibility. For instance, PR News and Cone Inc., a cause-branding agency, found that 14 percent of businesses surveyed measure the impact of corporate responsibility communications on retention/ recruitment. Further, HR Magazine’s readership survey reported 32.8 percent include corporate responsibility/ environmental concerns in staff performance measures. Increasingly, corporate responsibility likely will be incorporated into talent management programs in the form of required competencies for managers and employees. Beth Kniss is a consultant and researcher for Insala, a global provider of Web-based software for organizations implementing career development and talent management initiatives. She can be reached at editor@TalentMgt.com. 58 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com http://www.TalentMgt.com
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