A contemporary approach to managing social responsibility in relation to employees as perceived in academic papers

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays a significant role in Human Resource Management (HRM), especially when it comes to stipulating desired employee performance or behaviour, such as work performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment or retention. However, the academic literature offers very fragmented or partial answers to questions addressing this issue, as many scholars focus exclusively on e.g. one-country or one-industry based sample only. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to summarize the current “state-of-the-art” trends in academic literature and thereafter, based on the findings, propose a broader contemporary conceptual approach to managing CSR in relation to employees. The results suggest a positive causal relationship between CSR and desirable employee behaviour, with job satisfaction often playing the function of a mediator. The findings also suggest that adding CSR to HRM practices could improve employees’ work attitudes. In doing so, full compatibility with other concepts and principles across the organization is a premise.