Career Advice
5 Things to Look Out For if you Want to Work for a Responsible Business
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 4 Oct 2016
Responsible business has taken a great leap forward in recent years, with more and more organisations rethinking their role in society and the power they have to make a positive impact. On volunteering alone, for example, more than 70% of large firms now give their people paid time off to volunteer compared to 50% in 2007.
Consumers are part of the change, but so too are employees, with many people wanting to see an increased emphasis on purpose – rather than profit - in the places they work.
For a job seeker though, it can be daunting trying to distinguish between the good, the bad and the misguided!
We’ve put together some top tips for spotting an organisation that takes its corporate social responsibility seriously.
We’ve grouped the things to look for around what we believe are the five main pillars of doing business responsibly: charitable giving, volunteering, environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and social purpose.
1 - Charitable Giving
Charitable giving is very much the cornerstone of corporate responsibility and commonly the first step for companies wanting to get involved in their community. A well-established fundraising program is also often a good sign that employees are really engaged in CSR – keep an eye out for employees getting involved in sponsored activities like bake sales and woolly jumper days. You can get a good idea of employee participation in Glassdoor reviews and workplace photos.
A quick Google search should also reveal whether the company reports how much it donates to charity in terms of fundraising, in-kind donations and direct giving. You can also look out for a ‘charity of the year’ or charity partnership.
2 - Volunteering
Plenty of companies give their people paid time off to volunteer these days; the real litmus test of their commitment is the level of engagement, so check out whether they are reporting uptake.
The icing on the cake is if they go beyond short-term volunteering and either offer their skills to the community through pro-bono or emphasise skilled volunteering, rather than ‘paint-n-fix’ type activities (which can be more of a burden than a benefit for charities). This is why we set up Benefacto in fact - to engage more professional people in meaningful volunteering.
[Related: Boost Your Career by Giving Back.]
3 - Diversity & Inclusion
A really good way to get a sense of a company’s culture internally is to have a look at their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Check the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index to see how they fare on LGBT issues in the workplace or head to Board Watch to see how many women are on their board.
Finally do a quick search to see whether they support minority staff networks focused on LGBT issues, disability and ethnic minorities.
[Related: Diversity at work: 5 tips to find out if a company has it or not.]
4 - Environmental Sustainability
Climate change and environmental degradation is going to have a serious impact on both communities and businesses, so if a company is taking their green strategy seriously, it’s a good indicator that they’re genuinely committed to long-term sustainability both socially and environmentally.
Have a quick search to see whether the company have a sustainability report or check out the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
Another good angle is to look at how a company is using their buying power to improve sustainability throughout their supply chain.
5 - Social Purpose
There are a few businesses that take CSR one step further and have radically redesigned their business models to embed social purpose right at the heart of the work they do.
A commitment of this level tends to be right at the heart of an organisation so you won’t have much trouble identifying these real big hitters of the responsible business world.
Watch out for one-for-one initiatives (like at TOMS shoes who give away 50% of their goods or services) or SalesForce’s 1/1/1/ commitment where 1% of profits, time and resources are donated to a cause.
Another handy tool is to check for B-Corp Certification. This is a rigorous accreditation that tests companies across the spectrum of responsible - a couple of big proponents are Ben & Jerry’s and Patagonia.
Do you work for a responsible business? Do you like the way your employer gives you paid time off to volunteer, or commits to diversity and inclusion? Why not leave a review.
Glassdoor Team
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Tags:Diversity & Inclusion
