It Is Not Easy Being GreenÖBut Employees Value Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts

Research conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI), a division of Kenexa, a provider of talent acquisition and retention solutions, evaluated U.S. workersí opinions of their organizations with regard to corporate social responsibility. The report is based on the analysis of data drawn from a representative sample of workers surveyed through WorkTrendsô, KRI's 2007 annual survey of worker opinions, in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, India and Brazil.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), a strategic corporate initiative that has been receiving an increased amount of attention, provides more benefits to an organization than simply reducing costs by recycling and giving back. As stated in earlier research by the Kenexa Research Institute, actively participating in CSR efforts is related to higher employee engagement levels and more favorable views of senior management.

Results in the United States indicate that an organizationís CSR efforts also positively affect an employeeís personal outlook of the future, satisfaction with their job and confidence in the companyís future. Employees who rate their organization as having a strong CSR culture outscored those who view their companyís CSR activities as weak on each of these key indicators. Furthermore, employees who work in a strong CSR culture are more favorable toward their colleaguesí willingness to do the very best for the organization, and have more favorable views of their companyís ability to motivate people to work hard and put in extra effort.

Favorability regarding an organizationís CSR initiatives varies notably across industries. Workers in education and the banking services are the most favorable while workers in the light manufacturing, transportation services, hotel services and restaurant industries are the least favorable.

ìIt is not surprising that education and banking services are high in CSR favorability. Having a sense of community is often consistent with the purpose and mission of most educational institutions. And, by participating in corporate social responsibility efforts, banks not only raise local awareness, they position themselves to gain market share in the communities in which they operate,î said Jack Wiley, executive director, Kenexa Research Institute.

Executives, senior managers and those in professional positions have the most favorable views of their employerís support for CSR while operators and laborers have the least. Additionally, those workers who are the newest to the organization, and those who are the youngest in terms of age, have the most favorable views of the organizationís CSR activities.

ìActively participating in CSR initiatives has many advantages including setting the organization apart from the competition in terms of employment brand, creating an elevated sense of teamwork among employees, and helping to establish an emotional tie between the employee and the organization,î said Wiley.