Corporate Social Responsibility

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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about how businesses take account of their economic, social and environmental impacts in the way they operate – maximising the benefits and minimising the downsides.

CSR is the voluntary actions that businesses can take, over and above compliance with minimum legal requirements, to address both their own competitive interests and the interests of wider society.

Companies in the construction industry have long been aware of the need to consider the environmental impacts of building activities. Community relations is also an integral part of construction since buildings usually have a significant impact on society, on a local, national and even international scale.

Elevate is committed to a high level of CSR and has taken a number of actions to achieve social benefits from Housing Market Renewal activities.

To encourage companies to adopt the same agenda, we recommend the following actions:

Compile a socially responsive policy, mission, vision and value statements to describe realistic targets which can be attained
Develop a plan of action
Conduct a series of training days or produce a simple newsletter to educate all employees on the importance of social issues and how CSR relates to them
Introduce a socially responsive element in to your current reporting system
Keep employees informed of progress, successes and points of learning, and be positive - tell them how and why the company has improved
Address social issues in job descriptions and company proposals

Follow legislative changes on social responsibility, especially in the key areas of ethics, H&S, equal opportunities, human rights, community, environment and employee relations.

What are the benefits?

The DTI has said that implementing social policy “...can bring real business benefits by reducing risk, by enhancing brand value, by opening doors and creating goodwill, and by improving staff efficiency and morale”.

Identifying social objectives for your business will provide you with a fresh approach to fulfilling your existing targets and will illustrate to your stakeholders that corporate social responsibility has always been and will continue to be an integral part of your operations.

The Strategic Forum for Construction has outlined the need for the industry to improve the recruitment and retention of a 'quality workforce'. Demonstrating your social responsibility could place you higher up on a candidate's list of potential employers. Research conducted by Net Impact found that more than half said they would accept a lower salary to work for a socially responsible company. So a more socially responsible perspective can also reduce the likelihood of staff shortages.

Who should be involved?

The process can be adapted according to the size of the business but is just as useful to a self-employed individual or a small building firm of a few people as it is to a large construction company. Depending on the scale and activities of a construction company, its stakeholders could include:
Business partners

Employees
Suppliers
Distributors
Service providers
Unions
Authorisers
Government (legislation and guidance)
Regulatory agencies (eg. HSE)
Shareholders / investors
Professional bodies (eg. CIOB)
Board of directors (in large companies)
External influencers
Consumers / clients (current / end users of the building)
Public (communities affected by construction)
Media (eg. journalists)
Special interest or pressure groups (e.g. environmental / social welfare groups).

Useful links

Click on the links below for more information about Corporate Social Responsibility.
Sustainability North West
Business for Social Responsibility
Business in the Community
Considerate Constructors Scheme
Construction Industry Research and Information Association
CSR Europe
Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility

Useful pages on this site:

Women in construction
Social enterprises
Elevate YouthBuild