How can young employees help global business become a force for good?
- How do we make global businesses fulfil their promises to be good global citizens?
- Can young employees drive businesses to create genuine social change?
- Can community stakeholders become as important to companies as shareholders?
Global business has become increasingly interested in corporate social responsibility (CSR) since the mid 1990’s. Today over 8,000 businesses worldwide have signed the UN Global Compact promising to become good global citizens and protect human rights, labour standards and the environment.
Many view such an approach as a core component of success in today’s markets, with 77% of consumers saying it is important for companies to be socially responsible. One Young World Ambassadors ranked customers as the most important stakeholders for a company.
Yet less than a quarter of One Young World ambassadors feel CSR is a core part of business strategy; and is a genuine pursuit of social good. The next generation of leaders wants to make CSR an integral part of a company’s existence. And a large majority of One Young World ambassadors believe they have the potential to lead a business change project, but only half feel they can pursue social projects at work, and less than a quarter feel able to devote more than 10% of their time to working for social change.
Studies suggest 70% of young leaders choose an employer based on its commitment to society and the ability of its employees to make a social or environmental contribution through their work.
There is a need to ensure CSR becomes central to doing business at every level. So how can young people ensure business becomes a force for good in the world?
