CSR in the time of Covid-19, what is currently changing?
Early this year, we decided to explore how the Covid-19 pandemic is having an impact on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy and activities. We in fact asked ourselves “Have priorities within the CSR space changed? And how are they currently being (re-)defined?”. So, to answer this question we asked it to UK businesses and professionals within the CSR space – that we warmly thank!
Today we’d like to share with our community some of the key points highlighted from the survey we’ve launched. And if you want to know more about the topic, the full report is available HERE to download for free.
CSR in the time of Covid-19: context
To give you some context to the study, let me share some insights about the businesses across the UK that responded to the survey.
At G.APP17 we work within Social Responsibility and wanted to investigate this evolving space in order to support and enable CSR professionals to leverage the great potential that CSR has for people, planet and the business.
CSR in the time of Covid-19 has changed a lot. And we gave voice to professionals at the forefront of this shifting times for social responsibility.
Of the roughly 300 surveys that we’ve sent, 100 were the responses we’ve drawn data from. 60% of the participants work directly within the CSR department of their company. And another 22% cover the management of multiple areas, being also Directors or Founders of the company. The most represented industry is Financial Services, followed by Technology, Media and Comms and Retail and Consumer Goods. And while 58% were companies with 500-1000+ employees, 42% were SMEs and small corporates with 1-500 employees.
Key findings
To give you a taste of what the survey revealed, let’s take a sneak peek at a few stats.
70% of respondents claim that their CSR priorities changed since the pandemic. And while for the vast majority this meant that their job became more complicated, the pandemic also brought sustainability at the core of business strategy.
In fact, CSR is seen as a competitive advantage and differentiator by 9/10 UK companies. However, on average only 13% of them consistently link CSR to positive impact on the business.
And with32% of participants declaring that their company has no sound CSR strategy, measuring the impact of CSR activities becomes even more challenging especially in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Now, are you eager to learn more about CSR in the time of Covid-19? Get the latest industry insights. Download the full report for free HERE.
And what’s next?
As we’re launching a new prototype of our platform with enhanced features, we used the information generated from this survey to inform our next steps. G.APP17 is on the verge to revolutionise the CSR industry. So, stay tuned – and follow our blog stories!
Are you looking for a smarter, more efficient and impactful way of doing CSR? In that case, feel free to contact us. Together we can courageously shape our world towards a more sustainable and prosperous future.