Search Results for: corporate social responsibility

July 12, 2019

Family firms focus more on corporate social responsibility

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace design

Companies owned by families pay more attention to issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR), such as sustainability and environmental issues, according to research from Vlerick Business School, but the research also found that attention to CSR decreases as the company is handed down to the next generations. Dr. Kerstin Fehre, Professor of Strategy at Vlerick Business School, alongside Dr. Florian Weber from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, studied family firms and the attention they gave to CSR compared to non-family firms. The study, published in the journal Business Ethics: A European Review, used over a hundred of the largest HDAX listed companies in Germany and analysed messages to shareholders published in annual reports. More →

October 23, 2018

Putting the responsibility into personal and corporate social responsibility ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Environment, Wellbeing

You’re probably aware of the experiment performed by Stanley Milgram in which volunteers were asked by men in white coats to administer what they believed to be electric shocks to another person, who they could not see, but could hear, from behind a screen. Around two-thirds of the volunteers agreed to deliver what they were told to be potentially fatal shocks to the subject, who they could hear screaming and begging for them to stop. What they didn’t know was the person they were agreeing to inflict this on was in fact an actor. Milgram’s experiment stands as the most famous example of a series of studies that have attempted to highlight the willingness of humans to bow to authority figures and comply with group norms irrespective of what their own morals might tell them.

May 29, 2019

Biophilia in the corporate HQ: an historical perspective

by Guzmán de Yarza Blache • Architecture, Environment, Facilities management, Features, Workplace design

In recent years, the concept of biophilia and the inclusion of greenery in the working environment has captured the media’s attention, which has depicted it as an important aspect of wellbeing in the workplace, seemingly the crucial indicator of a great office. For this reason, and beyond the superficial or cosmetic use of plants in the office, I would like to analyse the relationship between nature and the corporate world from a historical perspective in an effort to understand the role of greenery within the architecture of the corporate headquarters.

May 1, 2019

The impact of technology, cyber-risk and the future of corporate real estate ⁰

by Kate Langan • Features, Property, Technology, Work&Place, Workplace design

It’s no surprise to say that technology is having a significant impact on the workplace and the use of corporate real estate. The fast pace of change has seen technology impact all aspects of business, government and culture, as well as personal life, with a constant flow of new innovations and solutions helping us to do things more quickly and efficiently. Equally, technology also provides a challenge to business and, more specifically, corporate operations, with a whole array of disruptive technologies.

November 4, 2016

Corporate responsibility now essential to attract and retain millennials ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, HR, News

Corporate social responsibility is no longer seen as more than a nice to have, with those working within the built environment for example, appreciating the role it has in reducing greenhouse gases. But it is also being increasingly seen as a positive way of attracting and engaging the right talent. Now according to a new survey carried out in the US, meaningful engagement around CSR is becoming a business – and bottom line – imperative, impacting a company’s ability to appeal to, retain and inspire Millennial talent. Three-quarters (76 percent) of Millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work and nearly two-thirds (64 percent) won’t take a job if a potential employer doesn’t have strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, according to the 2016 Cone Communications Millennial Employee Engagement Study. Because the millennial generation are the most likely to blend their personal and working lives, it’s more important to them than other generations to view their job as a way to make a positive impact on society, the study suggests.

August 5, 2016

Corporate real estate sector needs to step up to meet new challenges ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Knowledge, News, Property, Workplace design

The corporate real estate profession will be influenced, disrupted and transformed in the years ahead by a powerful combination of forces that are re-shaping business strategy and operations, consumer preferences, and how and where people want to live and work, according to a new report from CoreNet Global. The Bigger Picture: The Future of Corporate Real Estate draws on the expertise of more than 30 thought leaders to provide insights from multiple perspectives beyond CRE: technology and the internet of things; risk mitigation; cyber security; environment, energy and sustainability; corporate social responsibility; the global economy; people, talent, wellbeing; and the future of cities. The report argues that CRE must deliver greater value in this dynamic business environment and a world that is changing rapidly, is more interconnected than ever before, is constantly disrupted by technological innovation, and is replete with both risks and opportunities.

July 22, 2014

Corporate social reponsibility remains a vital part of the business armoury

by Mark Sait • Comment, Environment, Facilities management, Insight promotion

There is now an unstoppable energy for radical change in the way that companies of all sizes conduct their Corporate Social Responsibility duties. There are compelling economic and social reasons for companies to construct new ways of thinking and practice around CSR that go way beyond just doing something worthy or nice, from building effective partnerships to attracting top employees. Some companies prefer terms like ‘corporate responsibility’, ‘corporate conscience’, ‘corporate citizenship’, ‘social performance’, ‘sustainability’ or even ‘future-proofing’ over CSR. But the core CSR principles are that a business voluntarily commits to embracing responsibility for its actions and to impacting positively on the environment, on society and on consumers, employees and other stakeholders. More →

February 26, 2013

Companies must develop a social purpose to survive

by Sara Bean • Environment, HR, Knowledge, News, Technology

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Company reputations could collapse in minutes and more firms will develop an explicit ‘social purpose’ according to a new report from Global corporate responsibility consultancy Corporate Citizenship. “Future Business: the four mega trends that every company needs to prepare for” identifies four mega-trends that it says are likely to shape the nature of business over the coming decade. According to the consultancy, over the last year the proportion of S&P 500 companies that report on sustainability performance has grown from one in five to over half and the over the coming decades, it expects at least as much change again.

July 17, 2019

How Charles Handy changed the way we speak about the workplace

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management

There are writers whose language pervades our discourse so extensively that even those who have never heard of them will echo not only their sentiments but also their means of expression. One of these people is Charles Handy, who has just published his latest book 21 Letters on Life and its Challenges at the age of 87. His work resonates to this day and not least because he was so far ahead of the curve in detailing many of the characteristics of modern organisations and the challenges created for everybody by the changing nature of work and business. More →

July 15, 2019

The importance of self care for mental health

by Christine Husbands • Comment, Wellbeing

Nobody can fail to notice that mental health is high on the agenda for companies, employers have increasing expectations of their employers as well as increasing momentum from organisations such as the Health & Safety Executive to treat mental health risks in the same way as physical health risks. There are many excellent solutions available for employers such as mental health first aid training, employee assistance programs (EAPs), mental health nurses and increasing range of mobile technology tools. However rather than ‘locking the stable door after the horse has bolted’, it makes sense to look at how employers can support their employees to stay mentally well in the first place. More →

February 12, 2019

UK workers demand better remote working options, claims Airbnb report

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

UK employers need to provide more flexible and remote working options in order to attract the best talent, according to new research released by Airbnb for Work. Airbnb’s Future of Work report, the first of its kind from the platform, has revealed that the modern trend of remote and flexible working shows no sign of slowing down, and companies embracing this change stand to make the best hires. Workers in the UK are demanding more flexibility than ever, with 77 percent of respondents – and 84 percent of Millennials – agreeing that companies need to provide more remote options to attract talent.

January 29, 2019

Charles Handy was a true visionary about the modern workplace

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, HR, Technology

It’s incredibly hard not to be impressed by Charles Handy and even harder not to find him likeable. The scope of his intellect and humanity is evident on the page, in his interviews and in his broadcasts. He reeks of credibility and warmth. Do a Google image search of him and the pictures you find epitomise English middle-class academic decency (despite the fact that he’s Irish); jumpers, churchyards, armchairs and a benign smile. More →