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How CSR can benefit your business
Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR is one of those terms that is frequently bandied about the business media to describe the perceived responsibility corporate organisations have to ‘give back’ to their local communities. But like all corporate jargon, it runs the risk of becoming yet another acronym putting yet another burden on employers and the business community.
What if we called it Corporate Social Benefit?
…a benefit that could help your employees, your business, your clients and your community. Win, win, win and win again.
WISE Employment CEO, John Bateup, believes it is possible to combine good corporate management while addressing the needs of the local community – it’s simply a matter of identifying the right opportunity for your business.
In 2003, John and then co-CEO Sue Ranking attended a conference where they heard a representative from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in West Melbourne talking about the challenges asylum seekers face started their lives in Australia, finding somewhere to live and finding a job.
John and Sue knew that this was a way that WISE could help and soon became the primary sponsor of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s (ASRC) Employment Program.
“WISE has always been about supporting job seekers who may be disadvantaged in the labour market to find employment,” Mr Bateup said.
“This sponsorship was simply an extension of our mission statement – empowerment through employment.”
Over the two years of the sponsorship, the ASRC’s employment program has assisted hundreds of asylum seekers to find employment and to access further training. WISE staff have also volunteered to take part in food drives and have attended the Centre’s events. Participants of the ASRC’s employment program have also access to training through WISE Employment’s Learning and Development Services.
Mr Bateup believes the success of any sort of CSR initiative is to make sure it matches your organisation’s mission and vision.
“Our staff are extremely proud to support the fantastic job that the ASRC staff do to support new arrivals to our community,” Mr Bateup said.
“And our staff are proud to work for an organisation that is really living its vision and mission.”
For more information about the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, please visit www.asrc.org.au.
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