By Melissa J. Anderson

Corporate giving is down for the majority of companies, yet total donation amounts are up, despite the tough economy, revealed two recently released studies.

Despite the tough economy, corporate giving was up by 5.5 percent in 2009, according to a report released by Giving USA and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University – an estimated $14.1 billion.

Although now within 1 percent of its pre-recession level, the Giving USA study revealed that the unexpected increase is more closely related to in-kind giving than cash donation, which isn’t as harshly affected by economic circumstances. At the same time, the study revealed, total US donations (including individual, foundation, and corporation) were down by 3.2 percent, adjusted for inflation.

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By Bethany Sample

From the perspective of a concerned consumer, the big oil companies response to the recent Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico leaves something to be desired. At first glance, what should’ve inspired a thorough review of their safety regulations has instead brought only reassurances of how they will clean up the mess. This concerned consumer is left wondering how such an environmental tragedy can be prevented in the future and if it is even possible for the progressive oil industry to regulate itself with internal oversight – what about the company’s people?

In his 2010 AGM speech to shareholders in London on April 15th, BP Chief Executive of Oil and Energy Tony Hayward claimed, “Safety remains our number one priority and I’m pleased to report we can see clear progress.”

What followed this claim was a reassuring percentage of company progress and a thorough account of all the ways in the which BP has grown in the past year. Except for those few sentences about safety, however, Hayward didn’t return to the subject with more detail. He finished his speech by stating “Of course the future looks challenging. It always does.” What these words reveal, on the eve of disaster, is either a general disregard for the importance of safety in favor of positive quarterly statements or a genuine ignorance of the risk to BP. Five days after Hayward’s speech, 11 people died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the first million gallons of crude oil began flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.

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By Melissa J. Anderson

As the competition for for high performing employees grows during the next five to ten years, companies are going to have to work harder to attract the Gen Y workforce. The policies your company implements now plays an important role in building the foundation to recruit and retain this newly important source of human capital.

But it won’t mean business as usual – a new study confirms the view of Gen Y as values-focused, digitally demanding, and flex-work inclined.

What can you do now to attract the workforce of tomorrow? Here are our top five tips.

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By Kate McClaskey

Being family friendly means more than just offering services to new parents. It means taking investment steps towards providing financial incentives for new parents to return to work – and stay there.

According to the May 2004 Current Population Survey, 27.5 percent of wage and salary workers had flexible work schedules. Too many companies do not realize the benefits of having such an option. A recent study from the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom found that employees with flexible schedules tend to work more intensely and have higher job satisfaction than their coworkers with more rigid hours. Those with more flexible hours also had lower stress levels and greater company loyalty.

The average unpaid maternity and paternity leave in the United States is anywhere from eight to 12 weeks. Comparatively, Swedish mothers and fathers can receive 76 weeks between them, and in the UK mothers can receive 39 weeks paid leave and fathers can receive four weeks paid leave. This is important because according to a study published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, mothers with more paid time off tend to have less health risks than mothers who don’t.

While smaller companies may not be able to afford to establish and administer family friendly policies, larger ones should realize that the benefits of adopting such practices can outweigh the costs because they can potentially reduce absenteeism, lower turnover, improve employee health and increase productivity.

An ever-increasing number of companies are finding that new moms and dads are demanding more such as longer maternity/paternity leave and flexibility after having or adopting a new child. As the corporate world changes, so does the importance of a family friendly work place. It takes more than just more time to keep moms and dads engaged and content in their new role as employee and parent.

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By Kate McClaskey

What’s new in CSR? Here’s what we have been reading this weekend.

• BP has proven that it is no corporate citizenThe Associated Press examines how this time, BP can’t hide behind the green and yellow sunburst on the corporate logo, not when the evidence shows the company neglected safety and fought regulation to boost profits. Being socially responsible, it turns out, was just a marketing gimmick.

• The Democratization of Corporate Philanthropy

  James Epstein-Reeves discusses the different campaigns companies use for their corporate giving programs and what they mean for us.

• Banking with a Heart

  The Manila Standard looks at outgoing HSBC president Mark Watkinson, who announced that three nongovernment organizations would get over $118,000 in funding from the bank. These include the Future First Program, to improve the lives of Filipino street children who works with SOS Children’s Villages whose goal is to provide education, health care, counseling and shelter.

• The Carbon Disclosure ProjectJustMeans strives to look at CDP and define what it really is, a way to “accelerate solutions to climate change by putting relevant information at the heart of business, policy and investment decisions.”

• Green is no longer just a color but a corporate way of thinkingMargaret Harris writes that “companies need to start paying more attention to how they affect the environment as corporate governance rules become clearer and tougher.” Because green concerns aren’t going away and businesses need to start implementing them into their projects and corporate mindset.

By Kate McClaskey

his year, 305 businesses reached a 100 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, a tool used to rate businesses on their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, investors and consumers. Last year 260 companies made it to the 100 percent rating. Though a promising increase, this does not mean that everything is hunky dory when it comes to the workplace.

A 2009 nationwide study by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation revealed that 51 percent of GLBT employees hide their identity at work, which leads to “increased stress, less productivity and the inability to participate in everyday conversations.” And when asked what a positive work environment would be like, GLBT employees said that it would be one “in which they feel free to be themselves, voice their opinions, engage openly in non-work-related conversations, feel safe from discrimination and believe they are valued, accepted and part of a team.”

So how can managers better ensure this environment for GLBT employees? By taking small steps that can grow off each other, creating an environment in which employees can feel free to be who they are.

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By Melissa J. Anderson

Last week Evolved Employer featured an article on the importance of top-level support for corporations working toward social progress, given the trends and uncertainties expected to characterize the next decade. McKinsey and CECP showed why CEOs need to strongly lead their companies’ CSR efforts moving forward, and more importantly those efforts must become integral to the company’s business strategy for them to be successful.

Today, we feature several CEOs who are doing just that, regarding the sphere of gender equality. These CEOs, founding signatories of the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles [PDF] understand the importance of bold leadership for affecting real change.

During the June 21 release of the first 39 signers, UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi said:

“These initial signers of the CEO Statement are practicing the very first Women’s Empowerment Principle that leadership promotes gender equality. These executives are affirming the high-level support necessary for the Women’s Empowerment Principles to gain traction in individual companies and their cultures.”

These CEOs serve not just as leaders for their individual companies, but as leaders on the gender equality issue amongst the CEO community as well.

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By Kelly Tanner

11,000 Human Resources professionals from around the globe descended on San Diego last week for the Society for Human Resources Management’s annual conference, to explore ideas about what’s next for business, and the role of HR looking forward. Dovetailing with SHRM’s new image campaign and slogan, “We Know Next,” the conference emphasized HR’s importance in identifying and managing change while developing progressive business strategy.

An informal poll during a general session revealed that a majority of HR professionals have been heavily affected by the economic downturn, with most reporting smaller budgets, reduced spending, and a shift in focus away from issues of promoting diversity and recruitment. However, with hiring freezes being lifted and businesses expecting increased revenue in the next year, the mood was optimistic. Most sessions emphasized longer-term strategic concepts, such as organizational inclusion, how best to integrate corporate branding and social media, and HR’s role surrounding developing workplace law and health care reform.

Keynote speakers Steve Forbes and Al Gore both discussed the shift in Human Resources from the traditional “personnel” role to that of a business leader who can seize opportunity to address domestic and global challenges in the workplace. Forbes said, “HR has a place at the table, and you have a chance to be the leading edge of our economic recovery” in areas ranging from health care reform to input on changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act and other regulations.

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By Kate McClaskey

More than 1,000 companies convened last week in New York City for the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit. Business, civil and government leaders joined together for the tenth anniversary summit where among the topics discussed was the Global Compact Management Model, a recently launched management tool designed to assist companies in their endeavors to follow the principles set out by the compact.

The Global Compact was launched in 2000 with only 44 businesses which came together voluntarily to make a commitment to incorporate universal human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption principles into their operations. The number of signatories now involved in the compact has grown to over 6,000, making it the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative.

However there has not been a universal approach for companies to implement the principles.

Some choose to apply them at the beginning of their sustainability efforts while others must insert them into their current operations. Due to every signatory’s unique sustainability standing, a hodge podge of different approaches has emerged. In an effort to solve this problem, the UN in partnership with Deloitte & Touche created the Management Model, to provide a framework for companies implementing the standards and putting the principles into practice.

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By Melissa J. Anderson

A new study [PDF] released by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) and McKinsey and Co. reveals the growing importance of company leadership in corporate-social progress, given current trends and uncertainties, and where they appear to be heading in the next decade.

According to Margaret Coady, Director of CECP, “This report provides today’s business leaders with an urgent vision of what business could look like in the next decade.” She explained, “By going beyond historic levels and models of corporate community involvement, the zero-sum tension faced by corporate executives of increasing shareholder returns and doing the right thing for society can be dissolved.”

The study, “Shaping the Future: Solving Social Problems through Business Strategy,” highlights five current trends expected to influence global corporate and social relations over the course of the next ten years: The Great Rebalancing (shifting centers of economic activity), The Productivity Imperative (talent shortages), The Global Grid (new levels of technological interconnectivity), Pricing the Planet (increased scarcity of natural resources), and The Market State (a new era of government action).

The research also highlights two points of uncertainty expected to frame corporate-social conversation and collaboration as we move into the future: first, a climate of mistrust toward corporations, and secondly, the responsibility public corporate leadership has toward shareholders to deliver the highest possible returns to investors.

Taken together, the researchers claim, these trends and uncertainties lead to four potential outcomes regarding the progress corporations can make in the social/philanthropic realm.

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