It's often said that CSR is expensive and doesn't pay off. Consultancy firms spring up like mushrooms in the autumn, billing for dozens of hours of analysis, auditing and technical training at a high price, which the company can then justify as having implemented a CSR approach. But what changes in the end? Almost nothing. We've drawn inspiration from the best-selling book by Mark H. McCormack, the famous American businessman, to give you some pragmatic guidelines for CSR success.
Several years ago, the famous businessman McCormack published a guide entitled "What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School". This guide has become a worldwide bestseller, still selling several thousand copies a year. It goes back to basics: mastering human relations is more important to a company's success than defining KPIs at all costs. At a time when social tensions are on the rise, McCormack's keys could give any manager or HR department a competitive edge.
CSR is all about respect for others and common sense in business, so it seemed important to put these fundamental notions back at the heart of strategic decisions before buying a ping-pong table for your break room.
1. Remind your teams to remain courteous in all circumstances
If you've never had to deal with unwarranted verbal or physical aggression at work, please comment. We've all had the occasion to receive an acerbic response during a meeting, a phone call or an e-mail. And without any justification. In some cases, we've even been hit. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), by 2021, 1 in 5 people worldwide will have experienced some form of workplace violence.
According to France Travail, aggression and incivility towards agents have increased by 12% in 2023 compared to 2022. Even more edifying, a survey of 2,000 employees by Qualisocial and IPSOS in 2022 (France) reveals that workplace relations are deteriorating and becoming a priority issue:
- 62% believe that harassment in the workplace is more widespread than it was a decade ago.
- 1 in 3 employees say they have been a victim of harassment
- 1 in 3 managers feel they have been the perpetrator
According to the Eleas survey in France :
- 42% of employees are exposed to incivilities
- 33% are personally affected and suffer
- For 54% of employees, incivilities are caused by people from outside the company.
- For 48%, it is caused by work colleagues
- 75% of employees say that these behaviors affect their productivity
- 77% of employees say that these behaviors affect their health.
For McCormack, human reactions say a lot about a person. Showing anger, nervousness or bad faith are all admissions of weakness that can be used against the person and reflect negatively on the company. For him, the importance of listening before speaking, and of maintaining self-control in all circumstances, speaks volumes.
"My favourable impression of the other party - how he or she handled the situation - made me want to deal with that person again. This has often led to opportunities that did work - and which more than compensated for any initial disappointments".
For McCormack, reactions and human qualities are assets that enable to invoice more and, above all, to create lasting bonds that generate long-term contracts. For him, the manager must first and foremost set an example.
This commitment to excellence in interpersonal relations has led the organizers of the famous World Economic Forum to recruit their teams primarily from the EHL Hospitality Business School, whose philosophy is "a skilful blend of independent thinking, respect, empathy and attention to others", as stated on their home page.
Like luxury hotels, teach your teams to address others with courtesy and elegance, in all circumstances.
2. Require your employees to answer their e-mails
In his book, McCormack stresses the importance of being vigilant about details and in your relationships with others. For him, providing an answer is essential to guaranteeing one's reputation, retaining customers and attracting new ones.
During my first experience as a young professional in New York City in 2007, I remember having a "clash of cultures". Having done internships in large French organizations before, I had been taught to ignore e-mails, or to reply several days later to "indirectly give a feeling of importance" and establish a relationship of power vis-à-vis the other person.
So, when I received my first e-mails in the city that never sleeps, I naturally asked my managers: "How long should I wait before replying to my e-mails, and under what circumstances should I engage in this power power struggle by not replying?"
I might as well have asked, "A what time do we eat children in the USA?" I read the horror in their eyes - which they otherwise contained with professionalism. Their answer was without appeal: "You MUST, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, answer your emails. If you have the answer, you answer within the hour. If you don't have the answer, you reply within the hour, saying you'll find the answer within 24 hours. And within 24 hours, you send back an email with the requested information". Those were the days of smartphones and "crackberry". Needless to say, their spontaneous reaction left an indelible mark that I've been striving to respect at all costs ever since.
This professional habit is a phenomenon that varies widely from one culture to another. Personally, the best quality of e-mail response I've ever seen was undoubtedly in the USA. Followed by England, Northern Europe, India and Turkey. Personally, France was among the poor performers (with press articles urging people not to reply), as were sub-Saharan African countries.
So, of course, you're not going to reply to a newsletter or an e-mail sent to 50 people - including yourself - in copy. Similarly, there's no point in replying to commercial e-mails, unless the service or product interests you. But when the e-mail is addressed to you personally and a relationship has been established, it's essential to respond as quickly as possible.
In its article: 5 reasons it's a good idea to instantly respond to emails, here are the reasons given by CNBC:
- It's polite to reply to e-mails, and there's nothing more annoying than someone who doesn't reply.
- You'll be seen as reliable, professional and organized
- It forces you to take action and become more professionally involved
- A short email can save you time later on. To take it a step further, an American colleague notes "I'd rather reply quickly that I'm not the right person or not interested right now", than receive 30 emails later.
- This allows you to achieve "0 mail" in the inbox, and gives you a feeling of well-being, of a job well done instead of generating unnecessary stress.
To avoid annoying the people who could be the most reliable professionally, teach your teams how to answer their e-mails. To take things a step further, we found an article giving you more information on the subject. Obviously, it's in English.
3. Teach your employees to keep their commitments
In his book, McCormack dedicates a section to the importance of doing what you say you're going to do. "Business promises are made all the time, and almost as often they're broken - needlessly creating a horrible impression. If you say you're going to do something, do it.
If you can't do it, think it's more trouble than it's worth, or you don't want to do it: then don't say you will. Make up any excuse, but don't even say "I'll try". At the very last, that leaves the other party with the impression that you tried - and failed.
If you say you will return a call the next day and you don't, that's enough to influence an entire relationship. [...]
It's also unwise to put yourself in a situation of speaking on behalf of your company if you know there's a possibility, however slight, that your company won't back you up."
In the United States, oral contracts are, generally speaking, legally binding. Personally, I find this attitude far more conducive to relationships, including the business one, than what I learned as a young law student in France: "spoken words fly away, written words remain". This idea that you can say anything without committing yourself creates de facto a climate of mistrust, and does not value individuals. In fact, comments on online rating sites very often reflect positively on compliance with verbal commitments.
A few months ago, I was in contact with a CSR manager from a very large French CSR certification agency, at his request, to work on a possible collaboration with Rate A Company. Our two approaches are complementary, and this agency is losing a lot of business. Having recommended the services of this organization in the past when the opportunity arose, I responded favorably to his invitation to partner.
On several occasions, this person made important professional commitments, but never kept them. His shortcomings were perhaps due to a lack of decision-making power or a lack of organization. In the end, he stopped answering, almost certainly out of embarrassment, and gave no explanation. This experience has prompted me to stop recommending their services, mainly out of fear that this lack of rigor will also show in the quality of their services and reflect poorly on my own expertise.
4. Acknowledge your weaknesses and mistakes to improve your business performance
This anecdote leads to McCormack's final point: knowing how to say "I don't know", "I need help" and "I've made a mistake". "There are three hard-to-say phrases to say which I find myself saying quite often. In fact, most chairmen and CEO-level executives I've dealt with know how and when to say it" he writes in his book.
- Knowing how to say "I don't know". According to the businessman, knowing how to say "I don't know" enables you to retrieve information, even when you do know, in order to enrich your knowledge. Moreover, he notes that people who say they know when they don't know are always found out, leading to suspicions about their real skills.
- I need help. McCormack notes the phenomenon of what he calls the "Lone Ranger": the person who will sign a contract and do everything on his own because he or she is afraid they won't get all the credit. "Not asking is such a short-sighted and narrow-minded view", he writes, "Asking for help is the way you learn, expand your knowledge, your expertise, and your value to the company. It also demonstrates a willingness to work with others". Obviously, this technique must not be abused, or you'll be seen as incapable or lazy. In the same way, the author notes that it's important to be as helpful as possible when a colleague asks for help. "Your accepting help and giving it are going to be remembered and acknowledged by any sort of enlightened management". He echoes Chester Barnard's notions, explaining that the most successful companies have profiles that combine their personal interests with the interests of the company. On the other hand, "acting in a way that sacrifices corporate interest for self-interest limits your effectiveness and will be noted".
- I was wrong. Once again, the cultural approach varies from country to country. For McCormack, "if you aren't making mistakes you aren't trying hard enough". But he qualifies this again by insisting on the ability to quickly correct the mistake. He notes that, in his experience, "The people who are least secure about their abilities have the hardest time admitting their mistakes". [...] "The ability to say 'I was wrong' is essential to success because it's cathartic. It allows these successful executives 'to get on with it', to put their mistakes behind them, and to move on to other things which may contribute to their big success".
Did you know? Americans use the "7 Cs" rule to learn how to communicate well. The "7 Cs" stand for: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete and courteous. This Chron article gives you a good basis for implementing courtesy within your company, as does the Maddyness article.
Did you know? According to the British School of Excellence, etiquette is particularly important in the work environment. Learning the basic rules of good manners triggers positive interactions, improves social cohesion and a sense of well-being, but above all : it opens doors professionally. All the more reason to buy a book on good manners and start practicing on the job.
Did you know? According to French-Japanese youtuber Louis-San - an expert on Japanese culture - what annoys people most in the land of the rising sun is the inability of French people to admit their wrongs, to ask for forgiveness and their instinct to blame. A subject he tackles in several videos, including this one.
