The trend towards corporate social responsibility is being driven by employees, who want to work for a well-behaved employer, according research by Robert Half and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

The study of UK senior executives found that employees expect the business that they work for to adopt a like-minded approach to the environment, community welfare, sustainability, employee diversity and work-life balance.

Senior managers agreed that staff often drive the corporate social responsibility programme ‘from the ground up’, particularly within SMEs, and that organisations have responded to corporate social responsibility demands as a way to retain good people and foster a positive culture.

Phil Sheridan, UK managing director, said: “Companies that implement effective corporate responsibility practices enjoy very real and tangible business benefits in terms of employee morale, motivation and ultimately retention.”

The form these policies took depended on the nature of the organisation. Senior managers from manufacturing, building and utilities companies reported a formal corporate responsibility approach around health and safety and environmental issues. Professional services firms, were more likely to formulate policy around employee welfare, work-life balance, charitable contributions, reductions in carbon emissions and recycling.