How Your Business Can Be More Socially Responsible

Maintaining social responsibility in your business is a pivotal way to stand out in the competition. It shows your audience that you care more than making money. Your actions of giving back, having strong values, and using sustainable practices speak volumes to your consumers. The more conscious you are of your actions as a company, the better your business will be. You can strengthen your business in numerous ways, so we went ahead and listed the top acts you can do to become more socially responsible. 

Get Involved

Make sure that with whatever your company is doing, your community is involved in some manner. Whether you mention in your mission statement that you’re “committing to the betterment of society” or “helping one individual at a time,” it’s best to show your dedication visibly by promoting your social responsibility on all social media profiles and your website. Most importantly, your actions should reflect your words and posts.

Find ways to get involved in the community and give back. Your company can host fundraisers, do community service, donate services or tools, and so on. Some companies even let their employees have a day off to get involved in community service. Other companies such as TenTree give back to the community with every purchase a consumer makes. TenTree, for example, promises to plant a tree with every purchase; so far, they’ve planted over 43 million trees! Imagine that kind of growth. 

Protect the Environment

More and more consumers care about protecting and contributing to the environment. By developing sustainable business practices that protect the planet, you start to attract a more extensive, more loyal customer base. Some essential tips to keep in mind include avoiding the use of harmful substances and using responsible packaging. 

You can also include a recycling program at your headquarters to promote the same ethical values to your employees. Finally, carefully consider your manufacturing process and how you can improve it to help protect the environment. The more aware you become, the more your consumers will start to notice.

Create a Mission

What is the drive behind your company? You have to have a concrete social responsibility mission so that your company never strays away from what’s important. The company’s mission should be at the core of everything that occurs within the company; it dictates internal processes, packaging, employee work-life balance, customer service, etc. Here are a few key things your company should focus on:

● Eco-friendliness: What actions can your company take to make a positive impact on the environment? Refer back to the previous paragraph for ideas.

● Authenticity: Your consumers will be quick to notice when your message is genuine. By showcasing your authenticity, you start to establish trust.

● Demonstrated Involvement: This goes back to giving back to your community. How are you staying present in day-to-day events and routines?

● Honesty: Honesty is truly the best policy. Your audience will see how you react to the positive and the negative as well. Don’t stray away from or hide your mistakes: own up to them and take responsibility. 

Communicate and Collaborate

By collaborating with like-minded businesses and organizations, you will find inspiration and establish further authenticity. Soon, consumers will see how serious you are about your mission when you partner with other notable businesses. For small businesses, it can work by partnering with local branches or associations or networking groups. It also helps to pair up with local charities and nonprofits to have a more hands-on approach. 

Establish Charity Incentives

It always feels good to help out and be a part of something greater. However, employees sometimes feel burned out, so they might be (understandably) reluctant to help beyond their regular work schedule. You can encourage good feelings and positivity about volunteer opportunities by offering incentives to your team when they behave charitably. As a bonus, enthusiastic employee involvement will carry out your mission statement while also help to boost team morale. Here are some ideas for possible incentives for team involvement:

● Offer PTO or reduced work hours as a thank you for volunteering

● Provide your top volunteers with free lunch for a week

● Reward involvement efforts with gift cards

● Invite volunteers to bring their pets to work for a day

Focus on Individuals

It’s critical to base the philosophy and culture of your company on the respect and status you hold for each individual. Every action taken by the company should reflect your focus on appreciating individuals for who they are. The rules set within your company should be firm and reinforced. There should also be diversity within the workplace that will provide a warm and comfortable environment for everyone. Take the time to get to know your employees and consumers and what they care about. Arrange team outings or lunches, have live Q&As with your audience or even plan a team workshop. Whatever you can do to let your employees and consumers know you care, make sure you are doing it to the best of your ability. Driving sales and watching revenue numbers grow is great, but you have to admit that none of that would be possible without your team and customers.