Building the Business Case for Sustainability and Social Responsibility in the UK

CSR Statistics about Employee Beliefs and Employee Engagement

A recent study by Qualtrics surveyed British employees to see how they feel about their company’s response to the impacts of the pandemic and social justice.

The survey aimed to understand how employees felt when consulted about what CSR initiatives the company should take, versus when they were not consulted. The results show that employees want to be involved with CSR programming, and mental health support was a top priority they wanted their employers to address.

How do UK employees feel about CSR and ESG?

What are the top CSR initiatives employees care about? 18% said they care about opportunities for charitable giving, 12% for volunteering in community programs and 16% want their company to make socially and environmentally conscious investments. Charitable giving was a high priority for businesses looking to help rebuild communities depleted by the effects of the pandemic as well as improving community volunteering opportunities and giving employees a chance to participate in their CSR projects. – 2021 Report: The power of purpose: how corporate social responsibility (CSR) influenced employee engagement in 2020, Qualtrics

The pandemic proved that no matter how large or small your company is, you can start making a social impact on your communities and employees in need – and good news! There’s a shiny silver “ROI” lining to employee engagement and CSR! Employee engagement impacts profitability, productivity, customer experience and employee retention. Employees want to give to the causes they believe in and make a positive impact on their community, and they want the companies they work for to do the same.

British Consumers embrace brands with CSR and ESG business practices

A study by In Moment on customer experience in the UK showed that even consumers unfamiliar with the concept of CSR still appreciate the efforts that brands make towards a positive change in the world.

Building trust is a long-term business strategy, and consumers’ trust is built overtime. Retail trends show that trust is extremely important to 82% of British consumers, and that trust is built on transparency, delivering on promises, and aligning with causes that feel authentic to the company and customer. The data below summarizes consumer studies by Zeno and Deloitte highlighting the positive associations consumers have with companies that care about people and our planet. This data further supports a business case for investment in CSR and ESG.

Data Sources:

• https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/sustainable-consumer.html
• https://www.zenogroup.com/insights/2020-zeno-strength-purpose
• https://inmoment.com/news/cx-trends-study-uk-consumers-lead-in-prioritising-corporate-social-responsibility/

Latest Statistics about UK Company’s investment in CSR and ESG

Many businesses in the UK and around the world have already taken steps towards creating social impact.

• >90%of the world’s top 250 companies produce an annual report on CSR – KPMG
• In the UK 2/3 of companiesinvest in CSR programs – Nat West
• 64%of chief executives think that CSR is core to the business – PwC Research
• ~58%– more than half of mid-sized businesses in Britain say that sustainability is extremely or very important to their decision making – NatWest

We believe it’s never too late to start something new and we’re here to help you with resources and support all along the way of your CSR and ESG journey. The research and data we’ve shown in this article can help British companies build a strong business case to make the investment in CSR.