An insight into the future of value driven recruitment

CSRA, the UK’s first and only accreditation scheme for corporate social responsibility (CSR), has recently encountered many employers identifying increasing difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff. This has also been the experience of a number of recruitment agencies we have spoken to. There appears to be a change in mindset from those seeking employment for the first time.

This may be about underpinning value for business in engaging with the next generation from a CSR perspective.

The Blue Planet TV series defined a moment when more and more people around the world started to ask more questions about issues not just concerning the environment, but about how organisations should act more ethically and responsibly. Employees want to work for values-driven employers and want to know that a company is addressing its ethical responsibility. It changed the way a millennial audience view their future and the world they want to live and work in.

The Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report indicated that, globally, 81% of millennials expect their favourite companies to make public declarations of their CSR.

Bucks New University indicated that over 70% of students actively look for an organisation’s CSR policy before accepting a job offer or applying for a job. Furthermore, their careers platform showed for the first time that the “average” student would rather explore work in the public or charitable sector rather than banking or law. In other words, an organisation that delivers social value.

It is clear that businesses need to focus on delivering sustainable value and purpose if they are to become an employer of choice. This is about lining up your values with those of the next generation. 

CSRA can show your business how to attract and retain talent through value-driven CSR engagement and communication. 

Free CSRA workshop to learn how doing good is good business

Come and learn how to audit, benchmark and report on your corporate social responsibility.

The CSRA team will take you through the process at this free workshop on December 11th at the Buckinghamshire Business First Hub at Bucks New University in High Wycombe. Book now >

University endorsement for CSRA encourages good corporate citizenship

CSR Accreditation (CSRA) has been endorsed by a scrutiny panel at Buckinghamshire New University. This endorsement adds a valuable level of prestige to the accreditation scheme which is currently the only system for measuring CSR best practice which has been officially recognised by an educational body.

Promoting involvement in Corporate Social Responsibility activity has become an increasingly important objective for organisations, as they recognise the business benefits of a comprehensive CSR policy. Until recently there has been no way for them to effectively demonstrate their positive impacts.

CSR Accreditation assists organisations in auditing and reporting on their sustainable and community engagement. The accreditation application process provides a simple and straight forward template on which businesses can record their activity against the CSR ‘Four Pillars’ of environment, community, workplace and philanthropy.

Established in 2018, the company has accredited the CSR activity of organisations including Morgan Sindall Property Services, Seymour Taylor, B P Collins LLP and Buckinghamshire Business First. Each was assessed by the independent accreditation panel, representing the public, private and third sectors.

CSRA required independent endorsement and recognition by a reputable educational body, such as the university, to prove due diligence. Bucks New University was ‘highly impressed’ by the company’s processes, and made recommendations which included helping schools to report on their CSR, which CSRA has welcomed and implemented.

Richard Collins, Managing Director of CSRA, said: “We’re delighted to receive the University’s endorsement. A good CSR policy connects businesses with the community that surrounds them, ensures they act responsibly with regards to the environment and helps them value and look after their staff while ensuring that products and services are delivered ethically and responsibly. We hope that more companies will embrace a culture of sustainable and social purpose with profit.”

Professor Nick Braisby, Vice-Chancellor at Bucks New University, explains: “The scrutiny panel was highly impressed with CSRA’s visionary approach and the way that it is working to integrate and embed CSR into all levels of education, and for its commitment, particularly to support small to medium enterprises.”

CSR Accreditation’s training endorsed by The Institute of Administrative Management

We are delighted to have our CSR training course recognised and endorsed by The Institute of Administrative Management (IAM).

Richard Collins, Founder of CSRA, said: “We have worked hard to develop a course that really helps businesses to show what good looks like. Organisations of all sizes are increasingly looking at delivering sustainable and social purpose with profit and need help in how they can embed value throughout the core of their business.”

This training course aims to help organisations understand how they can create a CSR policy that supports environmental, workplace, community and philanthropic issues and how they can work in ways that deliver positive outcomes. It is for those who wish to develop their organisation’s CSR policy, including CEOs/MDs, executive teams, senior leadership, HR managers and CSR professionals.

The course is divided into the below seven modules and includes an assessment and certification at the conclusion:

• What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
• The benefits of CSR
• CSR and legal requirements
• The CSR Four Pillars
• Creating a CSR Strategy
• Communicating CSR policy
• CSR Accreditation

Learn more about becoming CSR accredited

Organisations can find out more about CSR accreditation, impact reporting and training courses on the CSRA website, or by reading the attached flyers:

• What is CSR Accreditation?
• Achieving Corporate Social Responsibility