Integrating CSR into HR, beyond the social dimension

How can you implement sustainable and responsible HR practices to make CSR fully operational within the HR function?
If the social/societal aspect of CSR seems eminently linked to HR, what about the environment, for example? What HR issues are linked to CSR? And just how involved should HR be in CSR issues? That’s what we’ll be looking at in this article.

How can sustainable and responsible HR practices be introduced to fully integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into human resources management?

While the connection between CSR and the social/societal dimension seems obvious in the HR field, what about the impact on the environment? Which HR themes resonate with CSR principles? To what extent should HR be involved in CSR issues?

These questions will be at the heart of our exploration in this article.

Digital revolution & CSR: similar transformations

For a long time, we’ve kept our eyes riveted on the digital revolution. Launched several years ago, it continues to grow exponentially with the launch of the development of generative Artificial Intelligences (AI).

However, in today’s fast-moving environment, we need to keep a close eye on all the signals that could bring about transformations or even breakthroughs. We believe it is particularly important to prevent the climate revolution. and its societal impact. In the years to come, climate change is set to become one of the main concerns of managers, and even more so of HR directors.

A number of companies have already signed up to the Global Compact to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whose target date is 2030.

Just as the digital transformation has spread through the company’s various businesses like a “tea bag” – to use the metaphor of Maud Bailly, former Digital Group Chief Officer at Accor – the CSR will have to go through the same process in the coming years to become fully operational.
So, tomorrow, we should all have CSR skills whatever our business. This is what we call the “greening of professions”.

In addition, we are beginning to see the emergence of “ESG by design” approaches to rethinking the CSR aspect in each of the company’s functions, whether in business or support units.

And this should affect the HR function in 1ᵉʳ place, as it is also tasked with supporting corporate transformations and their impact on skills management. When you look at the In terms of the main principles of CSR, there are 4 main areas to be covered: social/societal, environment, ethics and responsible purchasing.

In this context, we invite you to review the impact of these different CSR aspects on the HR function.

HR and CSR: the social/societal dimension

The social / societal is so close to HR that one might even wonder where the line is drawn between what belongs to HR strategy and what to HR management. CSR.
In fact, when you consult the reports of sustainable development or extra-financial, a large number of indicators come from the HR function. There is necessarily a form of porosity between these two corporate functions.

Historically, this includes everything to do with employability (employee training, decent pay) and the right to union representation. In France, these issues are very much governed by the Labor Code or the branches. This allows them to be integrated directly into HR practices.

Then diversity and inclusion came on the scene: gender equality, disability, social and cultural origins, age and sexual orientation/gender identity… This is a theme that has been developing in companies for a number of years now, thanks to legislation that has set out contours and constraints.
As a result, we have seen the emergence of many positions in charge of Diversity and Inclusion within the HR function to launch equity initiatives (e.g. coaching/mentoring of women, recruitment of retraining profiles).

It’s a good idea to go beyond the logic of regulations and tackle this subject with the conviction that diversity is a strength within the company. Indeed, it enables the collective that makes it up to be more resilient and creative in the face of change. So we can see diversity in all its forms, including the logic of cognitive diversity (different communication and learning styles) or professional diversity (bringing together people from different departments). This makes it possible to develop a skills-based approach, which in fact brings positive diversity, as well as potential compensation for negative biases.

Finally, the subject of well-being at work is also directly supported by HR: care management, mental health prevention, absenteeism monitoring, benefits to promote quality of life… This last topic is certainly the one that has gained the most momentum in recent years. In the wake of the COVID crisis and the emergence of mass teleworking, we’re seeing new expectations in terms of life balance. People want to slow down, to get out of production time. L’he emergence of the 4-day week in certain companies is a case in point.

Other subjects are further away from HR, such as sponsorship and sharing with associations. However, links can be made. In particular, we are seeing certain practices such as employee skills sponsorship via online platforms like Friday or Wenabi.

With the rise of telecommuting, the world of work has undergone a major transformation in recent years. What is the new identity of these organizations in the wake of these changes, and what are the consequences of not thinking things through? Find out in our dedicated article, trends and innovations for the future of the workplace?

HR and CSR: the ethical dimension

The aim of corporate ethics is to ensure the application of principles in the conduct of business. This has an impact not only on the company, but also on the individual behavior of its employees and partners. Visit CSR, in its transversal nature, involves issues linked to corporate ethics.
These include issues such as respect for human rights or data security. Depending on the size of your company, you’ll find Compliance positions or departments in charge of this area.

The fact that ethics directly affect employees means that HR has to work alongside the Compliance teams. Beyond the defining an approach to responsibility through codes of conduct, it is important to ensure that they are properly applied through actions to driving change :

• Ensure that good ethical conduct is incorporated into HR and managerial practices through training.
• Raise employee awareness by sharing examples of inappropriate and good behavior.
• Speak up” sessions for employees, mechanisms for sharing questions with the CEO, anonymous barometers…
• Audit, reward and sanction employee behavior.

In addition, there are societal changes impacting organization and behavior patterns within organizations. We’re hearing more and more about autonomous enterprise and participative governance, which are shaking up the traditional hierarchical organization. This could change the rules of conduct within a company.

HR and CSR: the environmental dimension

We’re beginning to touch on the subjects that seem the furthest removed from HR. Why should HR care about the environment? I had the opportunity to take part in the conference “La transition écologique, défi du siècle pour les RH?” organized in April 2023 by Le Lab RH, PageGroup, Axa Climate and Groupe Renault. It gave me some key ideas about the role of HR in environmental issues.

What I take away from this is that the HR function needs to be at the forefront of this issue in order to :

• anticipate and support projects to transform skills linked to the ecological transition , which will impact all business lines through training for jobs that are becoming “greener” and the recruitment of “green talent”;
• manage the issues of organization and working conditions associated with environmental management : the carbon impact of collaboration methods and their impact on social ties (choosing to stay at a distance or move to a foreign site), the impact of global warming on external workers..;
• give meaning to, engage and mobilize employees in the fight against global warming, an issue on which expectations are increasingly high among employees and candidates alike. With the latter, this can involve presenting the CSR approach in job descriptions and during job interviews.

We can also add the need to measure the potential environmental impact of your HRIS solutions in order to meet your digital sobriety challenges.

To anticipate the recruitment challenges of tomorrow, it is essential to develop solid adaptation strategies. In our dedicated article, you’ll find the keys to adapting as a recruiter and remain effective in a constantly changing environment.

HR & CSR: responsible purchasing

Let’s finish with what is probably the most “non-HR” topic: responsible purchasing and the global value chain.
In fact, the fairly strict regulations in France encourage HR to focus on the internal workforce (permanent and temporary) and to ensure relatively differentiated treatment for anyone with a contract external to the company (to avoid the risk of requalification as a CDI). Sometimes, however, external teams represent a significant volume of work.

Following the Duty of Vigilance ActCompanies with over 5,000 employees are now obliged to monitor their suppliers and check that they comply with their practices (particularly with regard to respect for human rights). In addition to supplier management, we’re seeing a shift in wage labor with the rise of freelancing.

The number of freelancers in France is set to reach 1.5 million by 2030, according to a report by Lab RH, Malt and Mazars. Given the difficulty of recruiting and retaining talent, the development of freelancing is a relevant part of an HR strategy based on a skills-based approach. However, apart from temporary staff, external resources are still mainly managed by purchasing without HR. Including the contract workforce would then be part of an “Open Talents” HR strategy in an extended enterprise that takes into account all its stakeholders, according to Sociétal magazine.

Conclusion on the application of CSR within HR

We were thus able to see the importance of sustainable development issues / of the CSR for HR beyond social issues tointegrate responsible HR practices in an operational way.
This requires HR teams to develop their CSR skills, review their processes, but also define new boundaries in terms of governance with the CSR Department while breaking down potential silos between departments.

At SQORUS, we are committed to providing positive support for the transformations of today and tomorrow. Our experience in digital HR transformationsWe have a proven methodology to help you implement your CSR transformation. within the HR function in order to developing a responsible and sustainable approach :

• review all your HR processes so that they are ESG by design, covering all aspects of CSR;
• Define and implement effective governance and a strong partnership between CSR and HR departments;
• train your teams in CSR issues applied to the HR function;
• ensure change management for your managers/employees.