8/28/07 6:45 AM

CSR Programs Valued But Not Big Factor for Job Seekers

By Kathy Gurchiek

Organizations should give back to the community, a majority of U.S. workers say, but, for most workers, the existence of a potential employer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program doesn’t play a big part when weighing job offers, a recent survey found.

Only 7 percent of 2,000 U.S. workers have rejected a job offer based on the company’s lack of a CSR program, although 75 percent think companies have a responsibility to the community.

While they don’t base their job decisions on an organization’s CSR program, nearly half, or 46 percent, of U.S. workers think it is very important for employers to have such an initiative.

And among 46 percent of employees who work for an organization with a CSR program, nearly two-thirds participate in volunteer efforts even though few receive paid time off to do so.

“While the [return on investment] of a CSR initiative is tough to determine, employees expect their employers to give back to the community and value the opportunity to be a part of that,” said Peg Buchenroth, senor vice president of HR at Hudson, which commissioned the study.

Hudson is a global provider of professional staffing, outsourcing and talent management solutions and publishes the Hudson Employment Index, a monthly measure of the U.S. workforce’s confidence in the employment market.

“In addition, participating in a charitable activity not only builds strong team dynamics but also makes an individual feel like he or she is helping the organization give back to society,” she said in a press release.

That reflects survey data of Sirota Survey Intelligence of Purchase, N.Y. It found that companies that are committed to CSR are seen by their employees as having integrity, the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Global HR Focus Area reported in May 2007.

Among findings from the Hudson survey conducted in August 2007:

• 70 percent of workers don’t consider a prospective employer’s CSR program very important when it comes to evaluating job offers.

• 58 percent of workers at organizations with 500 or more employees said their organization has a program. That’s true for 45 percent of all workers surveyed.

• About one-third of workers at companies with less than 100 employees say their organizations have CSR programs.

• 82 percent of workers at large companies said their organization arranges volunteer activities. That’s true for 70 percent of all workers.

Organizations looking for information on CSR may want to look at CSRwire.com, which describes itself as a source of corporate social responsibility and sustainability news, reports and information.

Kathy Gurchiek is associate editor for HR News. She can be reached at kgurchiek@shrm.org.

Related Articles:

Corporate Responsibility Pays Off, HR Magazine, August 2007

HR Implements Corporate Social Responsibility Globally, HR News, Nov. 20, 2006

Related Resource:

2007 Corporate Responsibility: United States, Australia, India, China, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, SHRM pilot study

For the latest HR-related business and government news, go daily to www.shrm.org/hrnews.