Why is it essential to have the support of management in order to implement an effective engagement process?

Succeed in involving and having the support of managers: this is the basis for the success of any business approach.

When it comes to team engagement around social and environmental issues and CSR, this stage can prove to be a real challenge. However, the social and environmental transition cannot be initiated and lasting without a real involvement of the teams in this process.

The numbers of 2024 CSR barometer provide a better understanding of the central role of management in the social and environmental transition of the company.

Decision-makers (Management Committee, Executive Committee...) must invest in the field of CSR and commitment, since they are The actors who arbitrate the strategic priorities of the company. They will also have the leeway to encourage business departments to develop sustainable offers, transform processes and purchasing policies and, of course, mobilize all employees in this transition.

In fact, when CSR issues are discussed at the COMEX (Executive Committee) and when the COMEX is composed of at least one member who is a point of reference on this subject, the effects are considerable:

• COMEX members are more supportive of the approach.‍

In 96% of the companies surveyed where CSR is based on COMEX, the latter is in favor or even a driver of CSR, compared to 80% in companies where this is not the case.

• CSR budgets are more substantial ‍

81% of the companies surveyed in which COMEX has a CSR referent have a dedicated budget, compared to 68% when this is not the case.

• Employees are more involved

1/3 of the responding companies where CSR is integrated into COMEX involve more than half of their teams, compared to 17% for other companies.

‍

‍

The arguments for making CSR and commitment a key concern for decision-makers

When the aim is to convince, clear and concrete arguments are the best tools to do so. So here are the 3 main arguments to make team engagement a priority for your governance!

‍

Employee engagement: a driver of HR attractiveness and team loyalty

Enabling its teams to engage around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has real effects on its employer brand and on the well-being of its teams. We can even go further: an employee engagement policy is now a necessity to attract and retain talent.

Concretely, an engagement process allows:

• To strengthen your employer brand and to attract more candidates.

83% of employees involved in a company initiative would recommend their employer (Employee Engagement Study, Korn Ferry, 2018)

• To develop the skills of its teams and to improve career paths. Commitment is a way of allowing employees to discover new fields and to train on different subjects: a mentoring mission allows them to become more patient and pedagogue, participate in a Climate fresco allows you to develop your listening skills, your team spirit or even your logic...
  ‍
• To reinforce the pride of its teams in its company

The study on the commitment of Korn Ferry employees (2018) shows that the more they are involved in CSR approaches, the more proud they are of their company (90% compared to 66% for an employee who is not offered solidarity actions)

• To improve well-being and quality of life at work (QWL)

77% of employees say they enjoy working in a company with a CSR function or service, compared to 60% in those that do not have one (CSR perception barometer, MEDEF, 2022)

‍

Employee engagement: a performance vector for its CSR approach

By involving its teams in its social and environmental transition, it becomes a real driver of long-term performance. Indeed, by placing commitment at the heart of their culture, companies develop their competitiveness. Having a committed corporate culture includes:

• Be more efficient in obtaining CSR labels and certifications. At Electro Dépôt, the commitment of employees has, for example, helped to obtain the “Positive Workplace” CSR label.
  ‍
• Facilitate extra-financial reporting and regulatory compliance. An aware and committed team is more easily mobilized around cross-cutting projects such as CSRD.
  ‍
• Strengthen a committed brand image. Commitments embodied by teams are more concrete commitments, with a real impact. Customers and consumers will be particularly attentive to it!
  ‍
• Benefit from social and/or fiscal advantages. The skills sponsorship, in particular, has a legal framework that allows tax exemption.

‍

Employee engagement: a concrete social and environmental impact

Giving your teams the opportunity to get involved in social and environmental issues makes it possible to:

• To contribute to 17 ODD (Sustainable Development Goals) defined by the UN
• To strengthen its territorial anchoring
• To support the associative ecosystem
• Or to encourage the adoption of new internal practices

Test the platform

‍

‍

‍

Best practices for making decision makers real supporters of your engagement process

Several levers make it possible to promote the support of decision makers for the company's commitment process:

• Know the manager's vision on CSR and commitment as well as their ambitions for the company: knowing what their positions are on the subject is an advantage to better convince the or the company to commit
  ‍
• Establish a list of targeted arguments according to the profile of the manager and the current challenges of the company: by listing the advantages of implementing an engagement policy for the company, which we established above.

• Integrate commitment mechanisms around each lever of its CSR strategy: an engagement approach based on the company's CSR priorities can be more easily supported than if it is defined as a new challenge in its own right.

‍

‍

Setting up an employee engagement policy: our support to help you step by step

Thanks to our platform, our experts and our cultural change methodology, we can help you set up your engagement process and make it a real success!

‍

Do you want to bring your CSR commitments to life?

Request a demo