If a business is to be sustainable, it needs consider not only its profitability but also its employees, customers and the local community. This is in addition to any ecological or environmental issues. Eccles et al (2013) found that companies integrating social and environmental issues into their strategy were found to perform better than those who have not adopted such an approach.
A priority for many companies now is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This involves going beyond legal compliance and being seen as acting responsibly towards people, planet and profit. It is important because the ethical investment market is growing and as such social performance is influencing these investment decisions. A company's reputation in social and environment areas can influence customers and potential employees. CSR has implications for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) because it involves embedding an exemplary health and safety culture not just focusing on bare legal requirements for employee's safety and health. Therefore OSH practitioners need to link safety and health to arguments and evidence about how it can improve a company's reputation.
Poor safety and health standards can have a negative effect on a company's financial status. Accidents or incidents can also lead to a poor reputation, which subsequently leads to loss of income from sales and an inability to attract the best employees. Business reputation can therefore be an important factor in influencing a company to be proactive about health and safety.
This paper highlights a possible ‘servant leadership’ role for the OSH practitioner to help them embed an exemplary safety and health culture and underpin Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It discusses:
The nature of CSR and why it is important
how safety and health can underpin CSR
what type of leadership is necessary to achieve a high level of CSR
why a ‘servant leadership’ style could suit the OSH practitioner.
