SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: OUR COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.

 

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept currently questioned and debated throughout the business world. Defined as how a company “embraces responsibility for their actions and encourages a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere,” it is an issue that is top-of-mind for business leaders of companies large and small. In fact, I write this post after reading an article, in short, centered on the opinion that CSR provides absolutely no benefit to companies and overall is a farce, at which I found myself astounded at its overly simplistic and jaded logic. The author claims that CSR doesn’t “pay,” and while there is in fact a "market for virtue," it is a very limited one that is not growing.  He argues that for most firms, most of the time, CSR is largely irrelevant to their financial performance.

 

The article’s point is compelling. Of course the ultimate goal for any business in our free-enterprise system is to make money. But is profit really the only indicator of success? Or can being profitable as well as operating sustainably and responsibly be a truer reflection of a company’s worth? Our customers, clients, employees and partners are all asking more of the companies they work for and do business with, and why shouldn’t they? It’s up to all of us to ensure that we are contributing to the betterment of the communities in which we live and work.

 

Suffolk, as a company, and I personally have a long-standing commitment to social responsibility. The overall expression of social responsibility is something that is individual to each company and constantly evolving, as it should be. There shouldn’t be a set of rules that outline a good conscience. For us at Suffolk, social responsibility is giving back to the community and our employees in every way we can, whether through philanthropy, green business practices, corporate giving or employee contributions. By establishing clarity around what corporate social responsibility means to Suffolk, we found that it is about more than simply “doing good”, it is a core value and a promise that throughout all levels of the company we will strive to make a positive imprint on the community. Our superintendents and project managers are using technology to execute paperless projects, cutting down on our environmental footprint; our Red & Blue Foundation has sponsored events to raise supplies for Massachusetts tornado victims and our troops in Afghanistan; we have introduced a new digital newsletter that saves 17,000 sheets of paper every year; and a group of employees is hosting an event to clean the local greenway, both giving back to our community and bringing our employees together.

 

After reflecting on the impact of our company and our people, to that article’s skeptical author I ask, is supporting the people who work to help your company succeed every day, and providing for your neighbors and the generations to come really worthless, or is it priceless? I believe we are taking the steps toward changing the way the business world operates, into the way the business world coexists and contributes … and we are blazing our way down the right path.

 

Until next time, be well. And build smart.