Among business stakeholders, employees are always the central group: they directly create value, operate processes, and represent the company's image to customers. Therefore, CSR with employees – especially in the two aspects of welfare and occupational safety and health – is considered one of the core pillars of corporate social responsibility.
This article focuses on clarifying the content of CSR for employees across two pillars: welfare and occupational safety, along with implications for implementation within businesses.
1. What is CSR for employees?
From a broader perspective, CSR with regard to employees is a company's commitment to:
- Ensuring safe, healthy working conditions that respect human dignity.
- Providing fair and reasonable benefits, supporting employees' career development and living standards.
- Comply with and exceed minimum labor law requirements, while respecting international labor standards.
According to ISO 26000 guidelines, “labor practices” encompass topics such as: employer-employee relations, working conditions and social protection, social dialogue, workplace health and safety, and human resource development.
Therefore, CSR for employees is not just about paying salaries on time or providing full insurance coverage, but about how businesses treat their employees as strategic partners in sustainable development.
2. Employee benefits within the framework of CSR
Employee benefits are one of the most important factors that employees consider when evaluating a company's level of "responsibility." Within the CSR framework, benefits typically include:
2.1. Fair income and social protection
A transparent, predictable, and performance-based compensation and benefits policy is the foundation of employee well-being. This should be accompanied by:
- Fully comply with all mandatory insurance schemes, including health insurance, work accident insurance, and occupational disease insurance.
- Optional benefits such as extended health insurance, emergency support funds, and supplemental retirement programs can be added depending on financial means.
The ISO 26000 guidelines emphasize that working conditions and social protection are part of responsible labor practices, linked to fair wages, reasonable working hours, and social support when workers face risks.
2.2. Balancing work and life and taking care of one's mental well-being.
Beyond income, modern CSR focuses on the overall quality of life for employees:
- A reasonable overtime policy is in place, limiting the abuse of prolonged overtime work.
- Arrange appropriate time off for vacation, sick leave, and family leave.
- Activities focused on mental well-being: internal team-building programs, mental health support, personal financial counseling, sports and cultural clubs.
These factors contribute to creating a humane work environment, helping to reduce stress and burnout and increase employee engagement.
2.3. Career development opportunities and fair treatment
In CSR, benefits are not just about "what you receive today," but also about opportunities for tomorrow:
- The program offers advanced skills training, career development, and a clear career progression path.
- The performance evaluation policy is transparent and avoids bias.
- Commitment to non-discrimination based on gender, age, race, religion, marital status, etc., in accordance with the UN Global Compact labor principles.
A welfare system designed in the spirit of CSR is one that both protects minimum rights and opens up opportunities for long-term development for workers.
3. Occupational safety and health: An indispensable pillar of CSR for workers.
If welfare answers the question "how do workers live?", then occupational safety and health (OSH) answers the question "how are workers protected while working?".
3.1. Workplace safety is a fundamental right.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has recognized a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental right and basic principle in the workplace, based on Occupational Safety and Health Convention No. 155 (1981) and the Framework Convention for the Promotion of Occupational Safety and Health No. 187 (2006).
This places obligations on countries and businesses to:
- Preventing workplace accidents and occupational diseases through legal systems, inspections, and training.
- Build a "prevention culture" instead of just reacting after an incident has occurred.
3.2. Occupational Health and Safety Management System
At the enterprise level, the ISO 45001 standard provides a framework for an occupational safety and health (OH&S) management system, helping organizations to:
- Identify, assess, and control risks related to workplace safety and health.
- Establish goals, programs, procedures, and assign responsibilities for OH&S.
- Continuous improvement is achieved through inspection, evaluation, and corrective action.
Implementing ISO 45001 helps businesses reduce the risk of workplace accidents and occupational diseases, while demonstrating a clear commitment to employees and partners regarding workplace safety.
3.3. Main contents of CSR regarding occupational safety
A CSR program linked to workplace safety typically includes:
- A clear occupational safety and health policy is in place, signed off on by top management, and communicated to all employees.
- Conduct periodic risk assessments for each location, area, and process; update these assessments whenever there are changes in technology, premises, or organization.
- Provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and training on its use.
- Regular safety training and emergency response drills (fire, explosion, chemical leaks, natural disasters, etc.).
- The system reports and investigates accidents, incidents, and near misses, thereby learning from experience and preventing recurrence.
- Occupational health care: regular health check-ups, monitoring of occupational diseases, and programs to support physical and mental health.
These initiatives not only aim to comply with the law but also demonstrate respect for workers' right to work safely – a core value in CSR.
4. Steps to implement CSR with employees (welfare & safety) in a practical way.
To make CSR with employees more effective, businesses can refer to some basic steps:
Step 1: Assess the current situation and needs of the workforce.
- Survey on satisfaction levels regarding benefits, work environment, and workplace safety.
- Data analysis: turnover rates, accidents, occupational diseases, complaints, labor disputes.
- Identify vulnerable worker groups (high-risk environments, low income, female workers, seasonal workers, etc.).
Step 2: Develop a CSR policy framework with employees.
- Update or implement codes of conduct and human resource policies based on standards such as ISO 26000, the UN Global Compact on Labor Principles, ILO safety standards, and ISO 45001.
- Define specific goals regarding welfare (e.g., expanding voluntary benefits, health support programs) and safety (reducing accident rates, preventing fatal accidents, etc.).
Step 3: Implementation with employee participation
- Establish or strengthen occupational safety and health committees, trade unions, and dialogue groups to give workers a voice in improving working conditions.
- Combine training, internal communication, and incentive mechanisms to ensure that all levels and departments participate in the implementation.
Step 4: Measure, report, and continuously improve.
- Establish a system of indicators: accident rate, lost-times due to accidents, insurance participation rate, satisfaction level with benefits, participation rate in health programs, training, etc.
- Report the results in the sustainability/ESG report or annual report, clearly showing progress and plans for improvement.
- Based on employee feedback and data, adjust policies and programs to be more suitable.
Conclusion
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) towards employees (welfare, workplace safety) is one of the clearest measures of a company's level of responsibility. Regarding welfare, businesses not only pay wages legally but also create conditions for employees to have stable lives, opportunities for development, and fair treatment. Regarding occupational safety and health, businesses do not view accidents as "inevitable risks," but proactively build systems to prevent and protect employees as a fundamental right.