I think by highlighting how the employees are the key foundation for the organisation to be socially responsible. The concept of CSR has to permeate the culture, championed by the leader, which then not only translates to a externally focused csr but inward focusing csr as well.

Employees are the most important company resource. Taking good care of them ensures their motivation and loyalty to the company. It can be done in many different ways. Please look at our research on CSR available on RG

…Another excellent question, queen Chimoga. Treating the external stakeholders right (for reputational benefits) while at the same time ignoring CSR towards the internal stakeholder’ is an interesting confusion about an organisation’s ethical orientation. Nevertheless, that is not uncommon practice. It’s a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is the same bank account in the end, so no one really gains except capital owners. The question seems to suggest that firms are the ones initiate these responsible actions- that’s an ideal. Nevertheless, in the age of responsibilization, this not how things work. If workers don’t take what is theirs, no one will give it to them.

How can we fix this?

We can always look at best practices around the world. Where workers don’t have strong Unions with countervailing power to press home their demands, no dialogues or complaints will work well enough. It is not a good idea to trust the good graces of top management (agents) who are seeking to please (capital owners) above all else. Sometimes the reason they provide sub-optimal working conditions is because they can (when workers are deemed vulnerable). Check fast fashion and mining industries. Moreover they may consider issues such as good pay and safe working environments as costs.

On the contrary, good companies see improvements in the working conditions of their labour force as investments and they initiate (proactively) internal dialogue through HR and functional managers on how best to do the right thing. However, there are no limits to profits in capitalism so as long as there are no threats from workers’ unions with legal backings, status quo will be sustained.

But by ‘’workers’’, who are we referring to? ….Only those within the company or also some respect for those who work for our suppliers in a developing nation? I think the latter is also part of the value/supply chain and the organisation owes them an ethical obligation to receive the best treatments, too. While some firms force their suppliers and sub-contractors to do the right thing, others try to explain this away by suggesting that ‘’our subcontractors or suppliers must be responsible for the Others’’ who are paid a pittance and work under horrible conditions. Key word; organized action/collective bargaining!! Take it by……, because it will not come to you by miracle. If leaders are irresponsible towards workers, it is because they don’t care and they see workers as powerless. Humans first, not capital/profits first- Humans are the most important capital. Is that anti-capitalist rhetoric? No, this is pro-human intellectual exercise.

thank you all for the excellent responses so far.

I agree with Frederick Ahen 'If leaders are irresponsible towards workers, it is because they don’t care and they see workers as powerless. Humans first, not capital/profits first- Humans are the most important capital. Is that anti-capitalist rhetoric? No, this is pro-human intellectual exercise'.

For sure employees should never be equated to capital assets.

Employees are a cornerstone to any organisation. They themselves are the direct link to the external stakeholders, because its their families, friends, and co-workers who are a part of the external stakeholders. So, therefore if the internal ones are not taken care of, whatever you try and do for the externals is futile.

Business is about how customers, suppliers, employees, investors, communities, and managers act together and create value. To understand a business is to know how these relations work. And the manager’s job is to shape these relationships. Employees have their jobs and usually their livelihood at stake; they often have particular abilities for which there is usually no perfectly elastic market. In return for their efforts, they expect security, compensations, and significant work. Often, employees are expected to participate in the decision making of the organization, and if the employees are senior executives, we see them as taking a great deal of responsibility for the efficient operations of the organization.

Employees have values besides working, so a company can make a profit when they work for a company that exhibits caring for key stakeholders, employee alignment is high and the company bottom-line. The reason why profitability increases in such companies might be that employees find meaning in such work. And companies that are good corporate citizens provide for meaningful work that in turn attracts the best employees, increases retention of top talent, and increases employee productivity.

we know that employees are the important people in an organization. they are the ones who carried out the work which makes an organization to achieve its goal. however, as an organization they are should be responsible for their employees because without them, i don't think this organization will be able to achieve its goal. sometimes in an organization, employees are not treated as the way they should be treated therefore if the organization would be able to work together with their employees , they would be able to achieve something better than what they expect.

Agreed with all the postings and replies.

Employees are the main pillar of any organisation. As there are so much emphasis on external stakeholders, such as customers, why not organisations have a look internally, have they discharge their 'social responsibility' towards their employees, before looking out?

There are number of publications available on this topic. Some of the scholars who had written Turker (2009), Vives (2006).

Enjoy the following readings:

Turker, D. (2009a). Measuring Corporate social responsibility: A scale development study. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(4), 411–427.

Turker, D. (2009b). How corporate social responsibility influences organizational commitment. Journal of Business Ethics, 89(2), 189-204.

Vives, A. (2006). Social and environmental responsibility in small and medium enterprises in Latin America. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 2006(21), 39-50.

Regards

mei peng

Attached herewith an extract showing an upward trend of employee related publications.

RE: Recommendations in

https://search.proquest.com/openview/a7ad7dff3f1c3db1cff7f12538b1a857/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Companies need to realize that employees are trully their priority group. They need to really help them to balance the balance between work and personal time, to provide a working environment to empower them and to allow them to make decisions about their work agenda, to give them an increase in qualifications, not in the standard professional career debate, but in ensuring flexibility, diversity, redesign of official duties. At the same time, the organization's communication policy should be conducted in a context of constant interactivity, be biased, imply the free sharing of information, knowledge, creativity, and innovation. The question is wonderful and the topic is inexhaustible :)

Ineffective evaluation methods, negotiating from a weak position, and political ineptitude, can be blamed for poverty in natural resource-rich indigenous communities. How can a direct air-tight link be established between mineral resources and the sustainable standard of living for employees of foreign-owned companies engaged in extractive industries?

Hi, I recommend You my paper on fair remuneration as a CSR practice and reporting of human capital and its remuneration as an reliable form of public communication of CSR activities. Article Human capital reporting as a source of reliable information ...

Wojciech Koziol ....

well done! Your article is well articulated on the subject.