Most employers need to work on their CSR targets

Although three quarters of UK workers believe their employer should balance commercial success with effective corporate social responsibility activities and charitable giving, only two out of five feel that they currently do enough in this area.       These are the key findings of a survey among 1,007 employees undertaken by researcher Vision Critical […]

Sustainability: Megatrend? Mega-opportunity for HR…

A crisis changes everything. Before the financial upheavals and corporate collapses of the past three years, the word ‘sustainability’ was probably linked in most business minds to well-meaning campaigns by environmental charity groups. With the sudden demise of Lehman Brothers, and the recognition that dozens of other huge banking names would have disappeared without state […]

Book review: The Right thing – Sally Bibb

Reviewer Jeremy Thorn considers a book described as ‘everyday’ which proves to be anything but… Title: ‘The Right Thing – an everyday guide to ethics in business’Author: Sally Bibb. ISBN 978-0-470-68853-4 – Wiley  £14.99 This book is described as ‘an everyday guide to ethics in business’, but it is anything but ‘everyday’ – it is quite […]

Make your organisation a lean, green, motivating machine

In these lean times, encouraging staff to think green will not only cut costs to your organisation but will also help motivate your staff. Emma Mason, NetRegs.gov.uk Communications Officer explains how.   Recent estimates say that UK businesses generate around half of the UK’s CO2 emissions. But surely they’re referring to large organisations? After all, […]

Top five tips for a sustainable business culture which sticks

Going green is good for the budget and the brand. But how can you make the green intentions stick? Follow our five top tips and if you answer our survey about how sustainable your organisation is you could win an iPad. Embrace the cloud. Allow some of your employees to work from home when they […]

Coaches call for better regulation of industry

Most coaches would prefer to see self-regulation rather than government intervention to tackle fears that burgeoning numbers of unqualified people entering the profession could damage its reputation. Although the coalition government has no current plans to regulate the industry, training body, the Coaching Academy, has taken a first step in this direction by sponsoring The […]

Wales gets WISE with sustainable training

Wales has had a good week in terms of training opportunities following the opening of an institute to deliver learning in new environmental technologies and the provision of funding to teach traditional conservation skills.  Jane Davidson, Welsh Assembly Minister for the Environment, opened the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE) yesterday, which will specialise in […]

The new age of ethical recruitment

Mark Roberts looks at how the recession has created a new wave of ethical recruitment and explains how it works in practice. As we emerge from recession, the recruitment industry is a very different beast to the one that enjoyed the boom times of the late 1990s and early 2000s. In those hectic, sales-focused, days […]

Boost profit with wellbeing and CSR

There is a direct link between employers’ profitability and investing in issues such as the health and wellbeing of staff and ethical corporate behaviour.  These are the findings of research published by Business in the Community (BITC), a membership organisation with the remit of promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR). A study undertaken for BITC by Ipsos […]

Only 40% of employees say their business is ethical

While employers that adhere to corporate social responsibility and environmentally-friendly business practices show better rates of employee engagement and retention, only two out of five UK staff believe that the organisation they work for behaves ethically.  These are the findings of a survey undertaken among 1,000 personnel by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a subsidiary […]

New Balance HRD going the extra mile for flood victims

Corporate social responsibility isn’t dead, as Paul Kennedy, HR Director of New Balance, and his team are proving as they walk 140 miles to raise money for those still suffering from the Cumbrian floods. Charity, they say, starts at home. And when you find your local area devastated like New Balance did last year, it’s […]

Volunteering – but who benefits?

Voluntary work for charities has become an increasingly popular government-backed activity to be offered in the workplace over the last few years, and has been shown to give great satisfaction to those who volunteer. But is it really a useful and beneficial tool for charities themselves? Or does volunteering detract from the fundraising efforts of […]

Are your employees in the office or volunteering today?

Many people volunteer in their own time. However, at BT staff can volunteer during work hours. Here the company explains why. One major employer – BT – is seeing benefits both to the charities and the communities its people are supporting and through the new skills and abilities its employees are developing. To date, BT’s […]

Employee engagement and motivation: What not to do

Tim Holden examines the approaches businesses should definitely not be taking if they want their employees to remain motivated, loyal and engaged throughout the recession and beyond.     Keeping levels of employee engagement at a satisfactory level is one of the biggest challenges employers face in the UK at present. Pay cuts, pay freezes, […]

CSR – chicken or egg?

When it comes to employee satisfaction, employers’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seems to have mixed ratings – it’s considered important but there are usually other priorities.Now US-based attitude researchers Sirota Survey Intelligence have turned the question on its head by considering the opinions of those who say they are happy with their employer’s approach to […]

“Winning with Integrity:” A report on Corporate Social Responsibility

A new report spelling out the advantages of being a socially responsible business was welcomed today by Corporate Social Responsibility Minister Kim Howells. Winning with Integrity, published by Bill Cockburn's Business Impact Task Force, explains the commercial benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in relation to the workforce, the marketplace, the environment, the community, human […]

Payroll Giving: Background Information

The Government aims to double the amount of money given through the payroll to more than £60 million a year by April 2003. It also aims to increase the number of employers operating Payroll Giving schemes and to widen access to the scheme from one in five employees to one in three by 2003. Most […]