By Mark Swartz, MBA, M.Ed.
The Prospects for Socially Responsible Employment in a Downturn
Question: Dear Mark, I work in a large firm that prides itself on setting up “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) initiatives that help its many stakeholders. For example, we were the first in our industry to go green with our production process, we have negotiated “fair labour” contracts with indigenous populations in less developed countries, and we insist that our major suppliers adhere to high levels of environmental and social ethics. I have been leading up a fair number of these programs over the last two years and feel that there is a bright future in this area. But do you think that our economic slowdown will cause employers to cut back on CSR for now?
Rashid D., Edmonton, Alberta