Corporations that engage in social responsibility (CSR) often

have employees who are motivated and more likely to be productive.

Before knowing how you can get employees more involved in social
responsibility, it is important to establish the meaning of corporate
responsibility and how it can involve employees. Corporate social
responsibility deals with the theory that organizations and their
employees should partake in activities and initiatives that benefit
society at large. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to the
moral and ethical efforts made by a company for the betterment of the
society in some way. Now a company can contribute to different types
of corporate social responsibility (CSR)s to improve the society
ranging from donating money to nonprofits or charitable organizations
or implementing environmentally-friendly policies in the workplace.
The practice of CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility as a paradigm
for firms and businesses to follow has evolved from its early days as
a slogan that was considered trendy by some firms following it to the
present day realities of the 21st century where it is no longer just
fashionable but a business requirement to be socially responsible. CSR
as a concept was starting to be taken seriously by the time the 1970’s
dawned and through the tumultuous decade when big business and their
minions were accused of several misdemeanors pertaining to rampant
disregard for the environment and society as a whole.

In classifications of CSR, there are specific types of corporate

social responsibility. This includes ethical responsibility,
economical responsibility; environmental responsibility and
philanthropic responsibility. We live in a globalized world where
advanced technologies have made our social networking easier than
ever. In today’s world, there is no place for selfishness and greed.
In order to achieve long term sustainability and success, we have to
work mutually and look after each other’s needs and in this process,
we will eventually benefit ourselves. Companies that demonstrate their
commitment to society, humanity, and the environment are perceived as
philanthropic and positive which ultimately boost their long term
growth and profits. CSR ensures their business sustainability even in
the future. Companies that are inattentive about their philanthropic
responsibilities and have no CSR strategy will soon stand on the verge
of becoming nonexistent.

According to Norman Shelley Hernick, economic responsibility

strives to create a balance between philanthropic, environmental, and
business practices. This aspect complies and sets rules for moral and
ethical regulations. It enables companies to identify solutions that
alleviate business growth and improve profits through benefiting
society. Financial decisions are based on the general effects on the
business and society concurrently.
 Also, Environmental Responsibility is one of the corporate social
responsibilities. Currently, we need to focus on two main areas of our
environment: limiting pollution and reducing greenhouse gases.
Companies are bound to fulfill their economic responsibility because
awareness of environmental issues is growing largely among the
consumers and today they want businesses to take necessary steps to
save our planet and preserve all the lives in it. Companies that are
concerned about reducing air, land, and water pollution have increased
their standing as good corporate citizens while benefiting society
(Transparent Hands, 2018)

Philanthropic responsibility means to serve humanity. This

criterion pays attention to the well being of the unprivileged or
needy people who badly require our support to sustain on this planet.
Companies fulfill their philanthropic responsibility by donating their
time, money, or resources to charities and organizations at national
or international levels. These donations are mainly given to a variety
of worthy causes including human rights, national disaster relief, and
clean water and education programs in underdeveloped countries.

Values and ethics in strategic management are important. Being

ethical means companies must be aware of society's values and
standards and operate in a manner that is conducive to those. Inside
the workplace, this could include paying a living wage, ensuring safe
working conditions, abiding by all labor laws and being willing only
to do business with companies with similar ethical principles – not
purchasing products from a factory that uses child labor, for example.
In addition to their own employees, companies must ensure the
companies they are doing business with are taking human rights
responsibility serious, especially when it comes to child labor. Many
companies are beginning to end business relationships with companies
that use child labor. Disney, Mattel and Wal-Mart are a few companies
that came under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that the
factory that produces their toys uses child labor (Walters S, 2019).

Identifying the Problem

In the said scenario, the company linked on their aggressive

promotion unto menus that have “healthy options” for kids. The manager
then observed that it took a lot of time allotment to ask further
questions to drive-through customers for couple of weeks, the manager
then concluded that the orders will be regulated as the usual ones or
the fries and soda combo and changes will only be verified if the
customers will specify to do so. At this instance, it clearly shows an
unethical regulation upon the manager to the employee, and the
employee to the customers. Whereas assumptions are being pertained at
that point, lack of communication and connection to the customers, and
manager’s inappropriate pattern of social interaction and regulation
towards the employee’s designated job. Therefore, it is an example of
false ethical responsibility and that holds to the manager and the
employee as well.

Ethical responsibility means maintaining and improving— your

bottom line, while setting a high bar for making a positive
contribution to society. In part, enlightened company leaders can
challenge senior managers and other employees to set goals for
activities ranging from community philanthropy to environmental
excellence (Sims, Ronald R). Ensuring fair labor practices for
employees’ means that there will be no gender, race, or religious
discrimination among the employees and each employee will be given
equal pay for equal work and better living wage compensation. Ethical
responsibility is about looking after the welfare of the employees by
ensuring fair labor practices for the employees and also the employees
of their suppliers. Ethical labor practices for suppliers mean that
the companies will ensure the use of products that have been certified
as meeting fair trade standards. Companies that choose to conduct
their operations in a socially responsible manner act ethically with
regard to their outside interactions. Ensuring that your company
complies with social responsibility requirements entails evaluating
how you treat all parties with whom your company has business
relationships. It also involves taking steps to see to it that your
products don't have harmful effects, and that you are a beneficial
presence in the communities in which you are active.

For the manager’s state, the problem is being established because

of his/her poor governance to his/her employees. Instructing employees
with assumptions in obtaining orders is an aspect of looking at the
profit and sales and not the customer’s state. Also, concluding the
time allotment is beyond the employee’s capabilities wherein he/she
will be handling such problem if the customers argue about the certain
habit of the company or fast food chain. Diversely, customers will be
the one to encounter the customer’s problem about the interaction and
the way they conclude about the customer’s order without considering
the fact it will be easier if they are more precise on their menu.
Knowing that there set of standards and manners and ethics that the
personnel should obtain in order to gain more customers.

These problems occur because of poor leadership and governance,

miscommunication, jumping into conclusion, profit-inclined basis. When
a corporation is involved in helping one or more organizations, it
helps your employees respect the company and be more satisfied with
their jobs. Moreover, by allowing employees to engage in corporate
social responsibility, you give them a chance to help others in a way
they otherwise couldn’t have they attempted it on their own. Employees
like to feel they are associated with a company that is making a
difference to the community or world. They feel proud to tell others
where they work and the various drives the company is involved in.
Employees recognize when something is wrong and know the right thing
to do. A company’s core values may include integrity, respect and
accountability. This leads to self-governance and prevents problems in
the long run. For example, by communicating the rules effectively,
ethical leaders ensure that employees know when not to accept gifts
from suppliers, when not to share internal information and when to
report unethical behavior they may observe in the workplace.

Pressure from supervisors is one of the biggest reasons why

people indulge in unethical practices. When managers set unrealistic
and unachievable targets, they are indirectly communicating to their
sub-ordinates that, “I want it done, no matter what”. Sub-ordinates on
the other hand are under immense pressure to complete their targets as
their career prospects, depend to a large extent, on their
performance, and if the performance is not up to what the manager
expects, the chances of growth are slim (Business Zeal). Another
reason that can lead to unethical behavior in the workplace is
ignorance about the company’s policies. We as social beings have a
clear-cut definition of what is legal and what is forbidden by law,
but it is very difficult for organizations to come up with a handbook
that covers essentially everything. Although every organization has a
‘Code of Conduct’ and the employees are made to go through it when
they are hired, it leaves room for a lot of issues which can be
manipulated and used to one’s advantage. Researchers do agree that it
is important to have stringent policies in place to curb unethical
behavior, but organizations should focus more on instilling ethical
values in its employees.

In the book, The Ethical Traps, Robert Hoyk and Paul Hersey have
extensively enlisted the reasons that cause employees to err and do
things that are malicious. They have stated that sometimes employees
may be displaying unethical behavior without even knowing it as they
perceive that their acts are in accordance with what the organization
is looking for, that is, maximization of profits. They also point out
that most of the reasons are psychological in nature, and as they have
put it, these are “webs of deception” which make it difficult for us
to differentiate between ethical and unethical practices.
These problems also occur because of setting a bad example. Ethical
behavior starts at the top. Employees emulate their leaders, and the
most significant factor in ethical leadership is personal character.
Corporate leaders who employees view as demonstrating personal
character are more likely to be perceived as setting a strong tone,
researchers say. If employees see the boss knocking off early every
day, they may do likewise. Ignoring the small stuff will not
necessarily lead to the type of scandals that make the news. But
ethical misconduct could prove costly if it is not stopped.
Identifying these causes of unethical behavior in the workplace could
prevent problems and minimize damages (Molis J. 2018).

First of all, the stakeholders in this dilemma are not only the
supervisor and the Big Boss, but technically all employees including
supervisors and staff. Supervisors generally are expected to model the
behaviors the organization wants to promote. If we see an exemption
for a supervisor (or any person, really), someone could interpret this
as “rules are meant to be broken, or at least bent,” and this opens
the door for us to ask for preferential treatment ourselves!  After
all, we have this supervisor as a model! So the ethical issues and
their potential consequences have now grown significantly in
importance and cost.

B.POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Solutions to this type of problem are easy to confine when you

only look in to the people involved, the manager and the employee.
First and foremost, one of the possible solutions would be manager’s
good organization and strategic techniques to his/her company and to
his/her employees as well. The next step to optimizing employee
engagement in these voluntary events is to organize everything right.
Get someone who is really enthusiastic about the event to spearhead it
among your employees. If you are working along with an NGO, get
someone from there to talk to your employees about it. Ask your
employees to strategize and come up with plans. It does not have to be
a full-time commitment from your employees. Reward employees who are
the most active with fun employee recognition ideas or an employee
recognition presentation (Workplace Communication,2007). Even though
you are looking to give something back to society, you are an
organization at the end of the day. You may get too involved in social
responsibility as it demands time, money, and effort, but so does
running a business. You must decide how much time you and your
employees can spend on these charitable activities while still giving
your employees a feeling of having done something good for society.
Provide healthy working conditions to your employees. Assign proper
workstations or cubicles for them to work comfortably and eventually
deliver their level best. Everyone needs some amount of privacy and
make sure your employees get the same; else soon they would be
frustrated with their job and look for better opportunities.

According to Prachi Juneja, encourage employees to praise and

appreciate each other. Give them ample opportunities to show their talent.
Provide them an environment where they can hone their skills with time.
Problems arise when management puts a full stop on the growth of employees.
Ask them to interchange roles, so that everyone gets to work on something
new. Timely appraisals are important. It is the responsibility of the
management to ensure that employees who are working really hard and showing
progress are suitably rewarded. Incentives, cash prizes, bonuses go a long
way in not only motivating the employees but also creating a healthy and
positive ambience at the workplace.

In addition to the solutions, you need to have teamwork. A work

ethics training program promotes teamwork by instilling trust in co-
workers. People are more likely to be amenable to working together
when they appreciate and respect one another. Work ethics include the
concept of shared commitment to a purpose. According to Change
Magazine, a business is a type of social interaction in which
participants come together to build something that cannot be
accomplished singly. As a small-business owner, it is important that
you and your workers plan and work together to achieve goals. For
example, you can implement a Monday morning meeting in which the staff
designs a work plan for the week that might include promoting a
particular product. Then, as a team, everyone can focus efforts in
that direction. It is imperative for organizations to keep a vigil on
its employees, but as mentioned earlier, it is more important that you
create an atmosphere where employees feel pride in their organization
and stay away from committing any such acts.. Therefore, it is high-
time that we have strict rules in place to check the acts of people
who think of themselves as invulnerable. Unethical business practices
have no place in today’s business environment and we as individuals,
also have a responsibility that we conduct ourselves ethically in our
organizations.

  Lastly, always consider customer’s state. Managers should make

easy and obvious boards that are comprehensive and easy to understand
for the customers. We all live for ourselves but trust me living for
others and doing something for them is a different feeling altogether.
Bringing a smile to people’s life just because your organization has
pledged to educate the poor children of a particular village not only
gives a sense of inner satisfaction but also pride and contentment.
One should never forget the importance of society and environment in
our lives. It is indeed high time when we also start thinking about
people around us who are less privileged and fortunate than us.
Corporate social responsibility gives an opportunity to organizations
to work towards the betterment of the society and make it a better
place to live.

c. BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Among the three proposed solutions, the best possible solutions on my

view would be the managers’ and supervisor’s governance and proper
leadership to their employees. Management’s responsibility for
implementing and enforcing a strong internal control system is not
just for the prisons. It applies to all businesses, small and large.
Perhaps now would be a good time for all management teams to review
their internal controls systems and find the weaknesses in their own
organizations. People develop a positive feeling for a brand which
takes the initiative of educating poor children, planting more trees
for a greener environment, bringing electricity to a village,
providing employment to people and so on. You really do not have to
invest much in corporate social responsibility activities. Do not
undertake CSR activities only to gain publicity but because you
believe in the cause. There are many organizations which tap remote
villages, some of which are even unheard as an initiative of corporate
social responsibility. The fact of the matter is that bad press
arising out of such instances of misconduct hits any company hard and
more so if the overly stated goal of the company is to be socially
responsible. Hence, the overriding conclusion is that companies need
to be mature and realize that they must practice socially conscious
policies with their workforce as well. Simply launching charitable
trusts and foundations when the workplace environment is vitiated does
not serve the company’s purpose. In fact, it does more harm than good
as the critics would use these instances as an opportunity to launch
attacks on the company and its policies thereby weakening the trust
that the company enjoys with consumers (Workplace Communication,2007).