5 Socially Conscious Business Practices To Start Doing Now

At this point, being socially conscious is not a choice anymore but a responsibility any business should take. With everything that's happening around the world—from environmental to social issues, one must start making initiatives to help the community. After all, being socially conscious goes beyond the moral aspects. It can also help your business in many ways, including boosting sales.

As people become more socially aware today, they're more likely to choose a company that prioritizes corporate social responsibility (CSR). And according to research, 77% of consumers and 73% of investors prefer to do business with corporations committed to making the world a better place.

 

With all this in mind, you must start doing socially conscious practices as soon as possible. If you don't know where to start, we got you. We've put together a list of steps you can follow to become socially responsible.

Developing A Social Responsibility Mission

Being intentional about social responsibility is always the first thing you should do before anything else. Once you've decided to go in this direction, you should start thinking about your social responsibility mission. You can only move forward if you know your goals.

 

When developing your initiative, you must refrain from developing those hazy and big ones you know you won't be able to fulfill. Doing it will only waste everyone's time and effort as it will be challenging to think about strategies to achieve them. Instead, you could write a realistic and achievable mission based on your team's capacity and resources.

 

Include short-term and long-term goals when drafting out your plans and set a timeframe. For instance, list the things you want to achieve for the next three to six months. But remember to always start small before moving to bigger ones. Accomplishing one goal at a time will motivate you to do more and improve.

 

Finally, include goals that won't cause major disruptions in your day-to-day business operations. Because, after all, business is still business.

Ensuring Inclusivity Inside Your Organization

You must understand that every person you meet is different, but it doesn't mean you should treat them as such. Inclusivity is another socially conscious method you should practice as a business. But of course, you must start this initiative inside your organization. Acknowledge diversity in your workplace—from gender to race, to religion, and even history.

 

Ensure to make your firm home for everyone. Start by hiring people based on their abilities, not their stories. While it's still best to understand them at an emotional level, it shouldn't be a hindrance in choosing them—for instance, people who have just been released from jail. Learning and growing while incarcerated is already difficult. Therefore, it's only best to provide a safe environment for them to continue their growth. But ensure to continue doing it beyond the hiring process.

 

Maintain respect and treat your people fairly during their stay in your company. Create a positive environment that fosters inclusivity and acceptance. Celebrate their wins and the holidays they’re also celebrating.

Educating Your Employees

One step to making your business inclusive and socially conscious is by educating your employees. Besides your company policies, teaching them your social initiatives will help change their perspective. From how they interact with people to how they see your company. After all, employees are the backbone of any business, so it's best to include them every step of the way. As a team, you'll be able to achieve your social responsibility goals quickly.

 

To begin, you may send memos and conduct seminars to help them understand the issues you're trying to solve, the reasons for doing it, and the steps to take to achieve them. Letting them know you're socially conscious and helping the community will only lead to greater things. Aside from an increase in participation and volunteering, you can also see how they ramp up productivity.

Partnering with Non-Profit Organizations

Along with your team's help, you should seek assistance from various companies with the same objectives. Working together will have an enormous impact on what you're already doing. They could assist you in planning a fundraiser so you can generate more money to extend your social work.

 

Apart from companies with a similar outlook, it is always preferable to collaborate with non-profit organizations. They frequently possess the skills and resources necessary to reach your objectives. Additionally, because charities are committed to assisting the community, you're sure that your donations reach the right people.

Making Continuous Efforts to Help The Community

You must understand that social consciousness is neither a gimmick nor a temporary trend. You should take it seriously and commit to supporting a worthy cause continuously. Always try to give something when you can. For instance, if you're a food business, you could donate the excess meals you prepared or the untouched leftovers to people around your community, especially the homeless. It could help them get through the day.

 

Also, if you plan to help other causes, you can host annual events and plan a donation drive to extend your support.

Final Thoughts

Both society and your company benefit from social responsibility. Therefore, businesses should adopt the mentality of giving back to the community as they grow the business. Follow the socially conscious practices in this article to help you on this journey.

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