CSR is NOT A Business’s Main Concern

S2, #27 - Focus on your goal as a business without making CSR your business goal, the benefit of HR modules, and our further implementation plan.

Introduction

Thinking about doing CSR for your business? Don’t.

Focus on your core business instead.

Rather than diverting resources towards CSR, businesses should prioritize delivering exceptional products or services that effectively solve customers’ problems.

When a company excels at its core operations, it generates value and drives economic growth. It will also create employment opportunities, stimulate innovation, and foster progress in a sustainable way.

Ultimately, this practice leaves a lasting, positive impact on the communities it serves.

It’s basically doing CSR - without “doing CSR.”

…

Wait. What?

Curious? Stay tuned.

We’ll dive deeper into the role of business in Corporate Social Responsibility and how making HR more efficient is also - in a way - doing CSR.

Agenda

1. What is the Role of Businesses in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

2. Odoo Features: Enhancing Operational Efficiency with HR Modules for Higher Profitability (and Sustainability)

3. Plotting Our Next Moves: Expanding Odoo HR Module Adoption at Portcities

4. Business quote

5. Last but not least, a $ 1,000 gift

1. What is The Role of Businesses in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

Raise your hand if you also think that running a business is all about making money. Not losing it.

Everybody would agree that there will be no business if you can’t make money.

But the thing about CSR is it screams “losing money” if you don’t do it strategically.

While I might look like a person who thinks CSR is bad for business, I’m not. 

I do think that any business can benefit from doing CSR because:

• Customers prefer companies with ethical practices. They care about the way you source materials, the way you deliver your products or the way you treat your employees.

• The community will be happier to work with you. And it’s always a good idea to go along with the communities instead of against them.

• The employees will be happier working for your company. Lower turnaround means saving money, time, and energy while getting better productivity and output.

• CSR also boosts brand reputation and customer loyalty.

However, if you focus too much on CSR, you can lose focus on your primary business. You’ll lose money without getting the intended result.

Don’t do CSR for the sake of doing CSR. It should strategically align with your company values and objectives. 

Better yet, instead of over-emphasizing CSR, prioritize doing your best in solving customers’ problems instead. 

Because, at its core, CSR is all about positively impacting society, the environment, and stakeholders. You’ll do that if you do your best in business.

And there are many ways that you can do to make sure that your business is making a positive impact - without taking the more traditional CSR route, such as:

• Reduce waste in your day-to-day operations.

• Use resources and energy wisely.

• Choose your source materials with care.

• Optimize your supply chain.

• Partner with other businesses that also implement ethical practices.

• Give more training to employees to improve them.

• Adapt remote/hybrid working to reduce carbon emissions.

By adopting these strategies, businesses can contribute to a more sustainable future while achieving profitability.

That’s what we do at Portcities. Focusing on our core business contributes to local economic growth and sustainability in every branch we operate. 

We create a positive impact.

2. Odoo Features: Enhancing Operational Efficiency with HR Modules for Higher Profitability (and Sustainability)

Focusing on your core business is about making positive ripples outward and inward.

As Simon Sinek famously said, “Happy employees ensure happy customers. And happy customers ensure happy shareholders – in that order."

Your business will grow positively if you invest in your employees. 

Another example of doing CSR without “doing CSR.”

But managing human resources is easier said than done especially if you do it manually. 

If your company is just a 3-5 person show, that might still be manageable. But if the number is already in the realm of tens or hundreds (or thousands!), the administrative tasks will turn into a hellish nightmare.

Imagine handling payroll for 3000 employees with nothing but spreadsheets - or an outdated, hard-to-use system. How much time would it take? You'll already be on the next payroll period before you get to the last person on the list.

These time-consuming tasks can significantly affect employee productivity and motivation, leading to stress, burnout, and reduced engagement.

You’ll need help.

The good thing is that Odoo can automate most of the repetitive HR tasks using HR functions from Odoo and free up valuable time for more strategic and impactful work. It creates more value for the business while doing good for the employees.

Using the Odoo HR module, your HR teams can spend less time on administrative tasks using the:

• Recruitment apps (job posting, application processing, interview scheduling, etc.)

• Timesheets for logging working hours

• Leave management

• Expenses management

• E-sign app

Then, they can focus more on people management. This includes smooth hiring, better onboarding, and better quality training for the whole organization using:

• Knowledge app

• e-Learning app

• Appraisal management

Porcities also help other businesses solve their growing pains. That 3000-employee payroll problem I mentioned above? It’s from a real case study of a tuna canning factory, 

It’s proof that the benefits especially accelerate for larger companies with more extensive employee bases, as manual processes make it harder for businesses to scale. 

3. Plotting Our Next Moves: Expanding Odoo HR Module Adoption at Portcities

I must admit that despite the benefits, Portcities hasn’t utilized all HR functions that could help us work more effectively. Currently, we only utilize around 50% of Odoo's HR module features and capabilities.

On the recruitment front, we use Odoo to post job ads on our website and process applicant submissions digitally. This streamlines the initial hiring cycle efficiently. We also use other functionalities, such as employee management and appraisal surveys, among others.

However, we haven’t used Odoo’s appointment scheduling to schedule interviews yet, even though this could make setting up interviews faster. We plan to use e-sign to sign contracts with new employees and fully implement the Payroll module for all our branches in different countries.

I must admit that the e-learning app would also be great for training new employees, so along with the others, it is part of our implementation roadmap.

4. Business quote

Here is a quote for all managing directors who got distracted by CSR topics:

“In the symphony of business, profit is the crescendo that echoes through boardrooms. CSR, while noble, remains an accompaniment—a beautiful addition, but not the main melody.” 

By a famous person that never existed

So keep focusing on your core business, but do it the right way.

5. Last but not least, a $1,000 gift

Writing this newsletter costs time, i.e., the missed opportunity to do something else. That’s about $500-1000 per week, which I give for free to the Odoo community. 

I hope it delivers as much value as possible. If you like it, please support this project. Any of the following would be a HUGE help:

1. Subscribe

2. Share it with someone who may be interested in Odoo

3. Give me feedback about this newsletter by emailing gaspard@portcities.net

4. Spread the word about Odoo and Portcities

If you know someone who wants to implement Odoo, we offer implementation services for SMEs and larger enterprises and corporations.