CSR Is Knocking: A Call for HR To Join

Abstract

Corporations across the world are called upon to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). There is little doubt that corporate social programs can be more effective with the commitment of everyone within the organisation. The starting assumption of this paper is that the Human Resource (HR) unit, already working at embedding core values and implementing important initiatives in the workplace and community, can assume a focal role in CSR. In this context, the HR function can play a vital role in embedding socially responsible values among employees and mobilizing community relationships. The paper sheds light more specifically on three HR-CSR interfaces relating to: 1) employee communication and engagement, 2) diversity management, and 3) community relationships. The aim is to unearth the important symbiotic and mutually reinforcing connections between HR and CSR in these three areas and draw wider implications from there regarding the important role of HR in CSR.