In the latest findings of its ‘clickthinking’ research, which surveyed 226 mortgage intermediaries, over 55 per cent believed CSR was important. However, despite this, 43 per cent of respondents admitted they did not have any form of CSR programme in place.
When citing the most important aspects of a CSR programme, charity involvement came top of the list. Environmental management was listed as the second most important aspect, while retaining employees came third. Only a small proportion of survey respondents thought a CSR programme was important to build trust.
The government also expressed its support for CSR and views it as a way in which businesses can contribute to the sustainable development goals of the community. It focuses on the voluntary actions that a business can take, over and above compliance with minimum legal requirements, to address both its own competitive interests and the interests of wider society.
Commenting, Paul Hunt, head of marketing at Platform, admitted firms must do more to recognise the need and benefits of CSR. He said: “Our research findings into CSR are revealing and suggest that although most respondents see the obvious benefits of running a CSR programme within the workplace, only a very small proportion of businesses are actively involved.”
Peter Wright, financial adviser at CBK, commented: “CRS programmes are not something that are talked about frequently, but I think they are an excellent idea. For example, more financial services firms should look to get involved with charities that focus on debt management and counselling as a way of helping to tackle the growing debt issue in this country.”
