18 corporate social responsibility It’s ’a source of pride’
As managing partner of one of the largest Solent law firms, Eric Robinson Solicitors, Catherine Maxfield (right) has always believed in corporate responsibility and that there are opportunities to enhance reputation and develop staff in the name of a good cause if businesses think beyond just writing out a cheque
were pleased to broadcast and became a talking point within the community.
“There is an expectation, and quite rightly so in my opinion, that businesses should give something back to a society that has helped them thrive. It signifies an appreciation, respect and desire for a mutually beneficial relationship that goes beyond the four walls of your offices,“ she said.
“In its 50 years, Eric Robinson Solicitors is a classic example of a firm that has grown from a couple of people in an office along the high street to a six-branch regional law firm, thanks to word-of-mouth leading to a well-established reputation. Over that time we have hosted events, sponsored
local sports teams, held raffles at staff parties and made donations to local causes, but in our golden anniversary year we wanted to do things that really stood out, and with challenges that we have never attempted before.
“For example, our first event for 2014 was a cycle ride. A team of us trained and embarked on a 50-mile charity bike ride around all of our Southampton offices for Wessex Heartbeat’s ’High 5’ appeal, to fund a unit for young people with heart conditions at Southampton General Hospital.
“Battling through cold and rain, we rode 51.6 miles with an average
speed of 11.3 miles per hour and completed the course in seven hours 33 minutes and a second, with just over four and a half hours in motion. We got some sponsors for equipment and thanks to online activities such as emailing, social media and a Just Giving page, we smashed our target of £1,000 to raise over £1,500 for the appeal.
“The charity was delighted and we were most proud of an article it put on its website. Clients, associates and staff were hugely supportive and are still talking about it, so we raised money, set an example the charity
“Other activities we have planned for the rest of the year include a specially-created programme with the local Education Business Partnership and fundraising at our golden anniversary party.
“It is my belief that there are many benefits to corporate responsibility, including recognition, respect and a source of pride for both individuals and a firm as a whole.“
Details: Catherine Maxfield 023-8027-8711
catherine.maxfield@
ericrobinson.co.uk www.ericrobinson.co.uk
Green initiatives grow while HR strategies lag
More than 80% of British employers say they have a duty to help socially-disadvantaged people – but only a handful are actually taking up the challenge. This is according to a recent survey of HR and CSR managers conducted by employment and skills provider Working Links.
The report: ’The Responsible Employer’ finds that UK businesses overwhelmingly consider it their duty to help the UK address both economic (90%) and societal challenges (81%). However, while 76% of employers consider ’environment and sustainability’ a top CSR priority, only 12% feel as strongly about ’recruiting from disadvantaged groups’.
The barriers preventing companies from recruiting from these groups are numerous. One example,
www.businessmag.co.uk
according to the survey, is that as many as 35% of managers find it difficult to make vacancy appeals to these groups.
Some 70% of employers also fear they would have difficulty finding people in these groups with the right skills.
Working Links believes at least part of the solution to economic recovery is to translate welfare costs into tax income and GDP contribution – simply put, to help get people into jobs.
It believes employers hold the key to proactively addressing unemployment among disadvantaged groups, and is continuing its call on employers to turn their CSR agendas towards employability programmes as well as to ’green’ initiatives.
The smartest businesses know that acting responsibly is critical to their reputation says Working Links, and the report finds that some 64% of employers have increased spending on CSR in the past five years, compared with 6% who have seen CSR budgets fall.
However, it is proving harder for companies to stand out from their competitors by virtue of their environmental credentials. Working Links found that, out of the employers it surveyed, 84% were already engaged in some form of ’green’ CSR activity. Customers now fully expect businesses to demonstrate their respect for the environment.
As a result of its research, Working Links is calling on employers to adopt a series of HR-related recommendations:
• Update CSR strategies to include recruitment and training programmes that help people from disadvantaged groups into work.
• Update HR strategies to embed employability aimed at people from disadvantaged groups into recruitment and training programmes.
• Consider a supply chain review – to what extent do the business’ suppliers invest in helping people from disadvantaged groups into work?
• Where businesses operate employability as CSR, encourage their industry peers and suppliers to follow suit by actively recruiting people from disadvantaged groups.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – JULY/AUGUST 2014
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