Companies are increasingly committed to the subject of CSR. The ideas for carrying out this transformation are numerous, the subject is now the establishment of these best practices. To achieve this, thetop management involvement is paramount. That of all employees is just as much “because they are the players in this strategy on a daily basis, says Adrienne Horel-Pagès, Director of Citizen Engagement at La Banque Postale, during a round table organized during the Produrable event on September 13, 2022. If each employee is not aware of how to operate this strategy, it will never happen. »
To achieve employee engagement, Pierre-Emmanuel Grange, founder of Microndon, a company that develops citizen engagement solutions, recommendsidentify employees who will be ambassadors “. Already very concerned by this subject of sustainable development, they will be real drivers for the implementation of this plan in company. “These employees want to make progress on these CSR topics very quickly. They even find that their society is not moving fast enough. With their status as ambassadors, they will be delighted to come up with new ideasto challenge their employer and to spread this more responsible state of mind in all corners of the company. »
Engage your employees
The fact of involving all of its employees in this project is all the more important as companies today face a major disengagement of employees. ” There is a glaring difference of expectation between employees, who no longer find meaning in their job, and companies, who are not always irreproachable in their actions. 39% of private sector employees feel a real dissonance between their personal beliefs and what their company is about» explains Pierre-Yves Sanchis, founder of Youmatter, a media and training organization specializing in social and environmental issues. Adrienne Horel-Pagès is totally in agreement with this point. “This issue of CSR has become a employer branding and employee motivation vector huge. It also creates innovation in incredible ways. »
Beyond this advice, the three experts offer 5 important key steps to take to involve them in the process.
Listen and consult your teams
This subject of CSR is a major business subject. It should not be compartmentalized and requires, that is why consultation and exchange sessions with employees are important, in order to show that they are involved and that their opinion counts. “For our part, our employees have been put to work in different workshops on different themes when constitution of the strategic plan. They were also consulted during shaping our purposewhich is the prerequisite for the status of company with a mission, via a survey to find out what their driving force was and what essential elements should emerge in this raison d’être, ” reports Adrienne Horel-Pagès.
Pierre-Yves Sanchis recommends for his part to be very transparent with his teams. “We try to do a lot of education on where is the companywhich goes well and less well in getting employees to re-challenge topics that are linked to the company’s strategy, listen to them, take them into account and implement them. What is extremely important is to take into account, but above all to realize of what is happening. Otherwise, we have the impression of having been listened to without it being really taken into account. »
Engage all stakeholders
When a company intends to embark on a transformation of this magnitude, thecommitment of all stakeholders is essential. “We have set up our mission committee, which is mandatory when you are a company with a mission, with all of our stakeholders. It is valuable to be able to rely on a external committee who proposes or validates part of the strategy. Our mission committee is thus formed with external partners such as business leaders from sectors other than the banking sector, economists, civil society actors, NGOs and representatives of the movement “For an ecological awakening”. who gives this vision of youth,” reports the Director of Citizen Engagement at La Banque Postale.
Train, acculturate and support its teams
“These CSR topics are extremely complex subjects on which the managers or decision-makers within the company have not must have been properly trained. However, to concern employees, it is necessary for the management board to understand all the issues. In parallel to this, the team training is also fundamental, especially for the most refractory employees, to enable everyone to understand the problems. Each employee will then provide the right solutions because they know their job better, their work environment, their different interactions, » completes Pierre-Yves Sanchis.
Propose a suitable commitment offer
It is a question here of finding a happy medium between an offer that is too rich and a impactful offer, which remains effective. ” There is a diversification of commitment offers to offer to its employeesin substance or in form: volunteering, skills sponsorship, etc. These offers must be adapted to employees. For example, seniors at the end of their career will no doubt be more interested in skills sponsorship. Where young people will turn more to volunteering in associations, » reports Pierre-Emmanuel Grange.
Communicate
It is important to embody your commitments, to bring them to life internally and externally. “The key to engagement isexemplary leadership. In our customers, those who set up an awareness and training system on CSR issues in the broad sense, including the leader makes a concrete commitment by speaking out or taking concrete actions such as the climate fresco are on average five times more efficient than the others, “ analyzes Pierre-Yves Sanchis.
Communicating around these subjects allows employees to move internally. It is also another way of create meaning and D’engage your entire company in this transition.