Corporate social responsibility, also known as CSR or sustainability programs, are long-term practices teams put into place to encourage their hardworking employees to connect with their community and team collaboratively. Companies like Starbucks, LinkedIn, and Deloitte have been showcasing how these practices have a positive impact on the world, in communities, and their team’s overall happiness. 

Working for a sustainable company says a lot about their values and interests. Ultimately, the majority of us love to give back to the world we get to live in every day, especially if you are able to get paid for it. And, there’s something special about working for a company that gives back to the earth just as much as you do. 

Oddly enough, 76 percent of millennials look for employers based on their sustainability efforts. Giving back to the community and your employees has officially turned out to be a key trait top talent looks for when job searching. Not only can these opportunities give you the comfortability to move up at a company, it also can give you more opportunities to network internally, and so much more. 

What is CSR?

CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is the programs, actions, and benefits companies have in places to help give back to their communities. This could be in the form of donations to help those that are struggling, setting up events for their employees to lend a helping hand in jobs that need to get done around the community, and even benefits supporting a healthy working environment. 

Not only does CSR practices give back to the community, it can help you scale your business to another level. As younger generations are focusing more and more on companies that have positive impacts on the world, there is a substantial market for sustainable companies. Whether you’re a product or service business, you can see a spike in sales as well as talent being attracted to your business. 

The Benefits of CSR on a Global Scale 

As many companies around the world are starting to partake in CSR efforts, there are various different benefits. For instance, hosting CSR events for your employees may increase employee retention rates. If your team feels like they are part of a good cause, they may be encouraged to stay around longer. 

Another benefit is brand recognition. Companies like Starbucks and Deloitte have done this rather well. As consumers, most of us don’t want to support companies that don’t treat their staff or the economy with respect. If you’re known for all the good you do, more consumers want to invest in your efforts. Not to mention, you may end up bringing in high talent applicants because of your respect and encouragement to move up and earn more. 

Benefits of Environmental CSR

While offering stellar opportunities for your workers, and increasing your brand recognition are key traits to a successful business, there are a few environmental benefits as well. For instance, improving your business practices and reducing waste on the earth. While you start to cut down on products, you may also cut down on business expenses and risk. 

3 Ways to Get Involved in CSR 

As there are many different ways to get involved in CSR practices across your business, some of them can cost more money and time than others. When getting started you may be wanting to test the waters on a couple different smaller strategies to see who may be the most interested and how this can benefit your team, community, and business. 

We’ve compiled our top three CSR practices that you can try out and see which works best for you and your team. 

Get Involved In Your Community 

When starting out small, see what events are already happening. There are many different organizations run throughout different communities. Ask around to see which events you’d like you and your team to take part in. Once you have nailed down a few, add it to your calendar and send out invites to see who would like to take part. 

Create Your Own Community Events

If you have the time and resources to host your own event, do it! Test out the waters by having an evening or weekend to give back to your community. Offer to give food to those that are struggling or volunteer at an animal shelter to walk dogs that are eager to get out on the weekends. 

Set Aside a Portion of Your Profits 

An easy way to give back without taking time out of you or your team’s day is through donations. You could raise money for those in need by taking a portion of your profits, sponsoring events, or even donating certain supplies to shelters in need. For instance, a portion of every sale of Mom Bombs helps mothers in need such as house cleaning or meal delivery services, child care, etc., through mombomb.org, a non-profit giving organization that lends a helping hand to moms who find themselves in a life-changing event and need some support. 

To check out the top 9 companies that have CSR benefits and what those CSR practices mean for your career, check out Mint’s infographic below.