Doing Well By Doing Good: Why We're Invested in Human Social Responsibility

What is Human Social Responsibility?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a business buzzword because of the growing trend among consumers to shop more ‘responsibly.’ That being said, CSR can often feel as though it is limited to a large corporation that has the budget to do things like make large donations or overhaul their production lines to make sustainable changes. Essentially, using the term Corporate Social Responsibility can be a barrier for smaller companies who still want to be good community citizens. 

This is where Human Social Responsibility (HSR) comes in: It embraces the idea that people are at the center of every organization in a way that CSR does not. Every team member and client is valued because they are quite literally the center of the business. Companies also support causes that are important to their employees, often investing beyond monetary means. For example, they might provide staff with “VTO” (volunteering time off), the process of offering employees paid time off to participate in community service projects. It is through this type of people-centric thinking that HSR comes to life. When employees are equally invested in the community programs a company supports, companies are able to build a more authentic, sustainable, and fulfilling model for giving back. 

Why is HSR Important to Techmenity?

Over the past two years, Techmenity has sought out opportunities to create a more comprehensive social responsibility strategy. Doing good for our community and our employees has always been deeply ingrained in our mission, yet the process of giving end-of-year donations felt like it wasn’t enough. Through research, we discovered the lesser-known alternative to corporate social responsibility: Human Social Responsibility, which resonated deeply with Techmenity’s core values. 

Since Human Social Responsibility is a relatively new concept, Techmenity first began by analyzing what we liked about the social responsibility programs at companies we admire. Here’s what we found to be the most important across all industries and company sizes: 

• Authenticity: This is by far the most important tenet of Human Social Responsibility. It means that any HSR program should be based on the central mission and values of the company. For instance, Techmenity will be more successful when we support nonprofits that have a technology focus because we come from that industry as well. 

• People-Centered Company Culture: When companies put people at the center of all they do, both employees and clients feel satisfied and heard. Additionally, this type of culture naturally transitions into helping the community. 

• Philanthropy: This is the process of putting your money where your mouth is. Companies should first explore the causes their staff cares about and align them with what the company itself is trying to accomplish. For instance, since Techmenity employees are interested in and have expertise in the STEM field, we support STEM education for underserved communities.  

• Tangible Commitment: Companies who implement HSR should go beyond writing a check to their favorite charity. When their strategy is truly authentic, team members should want to have a presence within the partner organization, whether it be through volunteering or board member presence, etc. 

• Environmental Efforts: One of the core values of Techmenity is to create a more compassionate world today and for future generations. For us, this means employing strategies to help take care of our planet, including offering our clients energy-saving solutions to mitigate their environmental impact. 

After identifying the areas that matter most to our company and team, Techmenity is implementing thoughtful strategies to meet our new human-oriented goals. Our team is excited to see what the future can bring because everyone is passionate about what we support, which makes it all the more effective.  

Making HSR the Industry Standard

So what about everyone else? Techmenity strives to be a leader in the HSR space because we have personally seen how being more human in our work can benefit everyone. 

As the world becomes more interconnected, it has never been easier to do good. Techmenity believes that if everyone does their part, we can all do well together. No matter the size of your business, the application of HSR is possible. And that’s the beautiful thing about HSR; there is no exclusivity. Contributing to the common good should become standard practice for all for-profit companies, and Techmenity encourages you to explore this new way of giving.