The Workplace

The fourth element of Computershare’s approach to CSR is the workplace and how the company treats its employees. The company makes the rather obvious declaration that describes their employees as being ‘instrumental’ to the long term sustainability of the company and as a result employee retention is a priority. This has resulted in Computershare seeking to provide a positive and engaging work environment which supports staff training and well being.

To achieve this objective Computershare actively engages its employees using methods such as reward and recognition programs and employee engagement surveys which are used to measure and encourage employee satisfaction. These are combined with a suite of policies which include:

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Diversity - Computershare’s philosophy on diversity is practical – it simply makes good business sense to leverage the diverse skills and talents of the nearly 11,000 strong global workforce regardless of their gender, age, race, origin, ethnicity, cultural background, disability, sexual orientation and religious beliefs (Computershare, 2011h).

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Flexible Working Arrangements - Flexible working initiatives are supported by management and where appropriate made available to employees to achieve improved business outcomes and support work/life balance (Computershare, 2011h).

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Whistleblower and Whistleblower Protection - This process allows employees to report alleged improper conduct without fear of retribution and is an integral component of Computershare’s zero tolerance for inappropriate workplace behavior, which may include harassment, illegal acts, cheating, unsafe working conditions, etc. The aim of this policy is to maintain an atmosphere of mutual workplace respect and proper business behavior which Computershare deem vital to the integrity and success of the organisation (Computershare, 2008).

Policies such as these are increasingly common in companies (Iwata, 2007 and Tansey and Kelleher, 2008) around the world and whilst Computershare recognise that the policies listed above have the potential to attract and retain staff, they claim that there has so far been no evidence that CSR as a whole has played any significant part in their recruitment process. This assertion directly challenges the commonly held idea that CSR plays a vital role in attracting and retaining staff (Bhattacharya et al., 2008) and is an area that will be further discussed in the next chapter.

8.15.4.1 Findings of the Survey of Operational Employees in Relation to CSR in the Workplace

Section six of the Operation Employee Survey sought opinion on the importance, commitment and communication of CSR activity focused on the workplace. Analysis of this section indicates the majority of respondents view the workplace as an important area of focus for CSR with the modal value of distribution showing the majority (52%) of respondents agreeing with this assertion. However, analysis of the sections relating to commitment and communication of CSR activity

shows the modal value of distribution to be neutral for both which indicates that operational employees perceive current efforts in these areas to require improvement.

CRS - Workplace (%) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Importance Commitment Regular updates

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly disagree

Figure 8.6 Operational Employees in Relation to CSR in the Workplace

8.16 Approach to CSR

Whilst Computershare’s approach to CSR includes the areas of community, corporate governance and the workplace, it is the area of environment that is emerging as the key focus area. Out of the three case studies Computershare are the most limited in their potential for positive impact on certain stakeholder groups. LN confirmed that the increase in focus on the environment will continue as it presents a fertile ground for the company to align business and CSR successes.

8.16.1 Partnerships

Computershare operates a number of partnerships through its Charitable Trust ‘Computershare Cares’ which help provide sustainable futures for communities living in poverty. Through the use of these partnerships Computershare can ensure that funds raised by the company are directed to areas where they are needed most. Partnerships that are currently active are those with:

World Vision Australia

Computershare currently works in partnership with World Vision on projects in Kenya, Chad and Ethiopia.

Kenya:

Computershare contributes funding the development of three Community Learning Centres in rural Kenya which provide practical health related information to disadvantaged communities.

Computershare also contributes funding for the Mtito Andei Food Security Project which aims to ‘improve the Mtito Andei's community's food security status and build their resilience to external shocks’ by providing:

• 150 acres of land irrigated for sustainable food production.

• Increased agricultural production of diversified and nutritious crops.

• Improved community capacity on disaster risk reduction and environmental management.

Chad:

Computershare contributes funding to World Vision for the implementation of a farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) project in Chad. This project has been designed to provide alternative sources of food and income which have previously been significantly reduced by drought and famine.

Ethiopia:

Computershare contributes funding to World Vision Australia’s trachoma prevention and control programs across Ethiopia which is a leading cause of child blindness across the region.

Australia Cambodia Foundation

Computershare currently contributes funding to the Australia Cambodia Foundation in the development of ‘Sunrise Children’s Villages’ which provide education, accommodation and healthcare to over 200 orphaned and vulnerable Cambodian children. In 2009, Computershare pledged US$500,000 and a five-year commitment to fund operating expenses for the third centre.

CARE Australia

Computershare contributes funding to CARE Australia for their work on the ‘Highland Children’s Education Project’ which has established community schools in six remote ethnic minority communities in Cambodia for children that have limited access to education.

Computershare is also currently contributing to the funding of CARE projects in the regions of Khua and Sampham in Laos which are designed to reduce food insecurity by aiding the construction of infrastructure such as irrigation and drainage channels with the aim of reducing the impact of natural disasters.

The Come-Share Project

Computershare provides funding and materials to assist in the education of underprivileged children primarily based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The projects that Computershare contribute to are recommended through the Regional CSR Committee. LN confirmed that this committee actively seeks recommendations from employees as to which charities and projects they would like to see Computershare contribute to.

8.16.2 Charitable Foundation

Apart from supporting local charities the company also operates its own community giving scheme called Change a Life. This charitable initiative focuses on sustainability by investing in projects that provide long-term solutions to the communities involved. Change a Life was established in 2005 and aims to unite employees in a desire to fund projects that address poverty and empower communities to effect long-term change. The initiative is currently supporting a mobile eye care clinic in Ethiopia, a farmer managed natural regeneration project in Chad, a community development project in Laos, an educational program in Sri Lanka and the construction of the Sunrise Children's Village in Cambodia.

Change a Life is funded by a combination of employee donations, directors donations, shareholders donating their dividends and employees becoming involved in fundraising activities which include; bike tours, walking events, raffles, cake stalls, marathon running and various other initiatives organised through the business. Computershare extends its support for the initiative by matching all employee payroll contributions globally and has so far raised in excess of AUD$3m (Change a Life, 2011).

Some examples of initiatives from Computershare’s Head Office in Melbourne Australia that have channelled funds into Change a Life include:

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Employees raising AUD$700,000 for the Computershare Tsunami Appeal for global charitable organisation CARE International with funds being directed towards some of the worst hit areas in Sri Lanka.

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The license fee received from Topdek café (in house canteen) was channelled into the Change a Life initiative, which totals an AU$39,000 a year.

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Annual Reports from 2005 and onwards have been shortened, which not only cuts costs but also provided a substantial paper reduction. This saved AU$50,000 which was then donated to Change a Life.

- Change a Life (2011)

LN confirmed that there are now regular in-house group-wide communications covering CSR activity. Computershare have taken a collaborative approach to these communications in that updates are regularly sent from directors giving their personal views and congratulating successes as well as being sent from focused CSR sources such as the regional CSR committee and LN herself. LN confirmed that she finds a combination of e-mail and intranet to be the most engaging where an initial email is sent with a brief update along with a link to the CSR section of the intranet which displays greater detail. Both JD and GB concur with their preference for electronic communications as being the most beneficial to CSR activity. LN also claimed that there was an increasing use of ‘electronic notice boards’ throughout the group which apart from being environmentally friendly also provide an interactive source of information on CSR activity.

8.17.1 Findings of the Survey of Operational Employees in Relation to CSR Communications

Section seven of the Operation Employee Survey sought opinion on the effectiveness of existing channels of CSR Communication. Analysis of this section shows a clear acknowledgement of the effectiveness of e-mail and intranet/internet in communicating the progress of CSR activity which concurs with the interviewee’s assertions to that effect.

CRS - Communications (%) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Internet E-mail Team briefing Newsletter Word of mouth Noticeboard

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

Figure 8.7 Operational Employees in Relation to CSR Communications

In relation to the external CSR communication LN confirmed that whilst there is currently a solid foundation through a section in the Annual Report and corporate website, other channels such as social media are being developed to communicate CSR updates. LN explained that there are no plans for the publication of a dedicated CSR report as it is felt that their website is sufficiently reporting on their current level of activity.

8.17.2 S.417 CA 2006

LN confirmed that whilst no specific consideration had been given to S.417 CA 2006 she is (upon review) confident that Computershare’s current reporting is compliant with its requirements.

8.18 Stakeholder Feedback

Each of the interviewees claimed that there was very little stakeholder influence on the decision to engage in CSR and the primary motivating factors were reputation management and competitive advantage. They also confirmed that the initial stages of design and development of CSR strategy was undertaken solely on an internal basis with no stakeholder consultation. LN claimed that this is no longer the case and there is now a considerable effort in surveying the opinion of employees with the regular circulation of surveys on various aspects of CSR activity as well as requests for feedback from team meetings. On an external basis, feedback is not yet formally sought but remains forthcoming from community and environmental groups with whom Computershare is involved. LN also confirmed that feedback from existing clients to date has been satisfactory as has feedback from potential clients.

In relation to official channels for feedback on CSR, LN explained that although feedback was not yet formally sought from the general public it can be communicated to the Group through standard communications contact details or by way of social media where Computershare has a notable presence on Linkedin.

In document Corporate social responsibility for the knowledge intensive services sector (Page 179-185)