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Corporate Social Responsibility"One of the greatest rewards of working in the staffing industry is the ability to make a real difference in the lives of others," says ASA past chairman Linda Carchidi, CSP, of JFC Staffing Associates. "I believe that our industry has an obligation to actively contribute to enhancing our communities and improving the lives of our employees."One way for your staffing firm to fulfill this obligation is to integrate corporate social responsibility—managing business processes to produce an overall positive effect on society—into your business. ASA is proud to support the Global Principles for Socially Responsible Associations and Nonprofits. These principles are intended to promote sustainable development and good corporate citizenship among the members of the association community. The principles, which are based on universally accepted principles contained in the United Nations Global Compact, help create a network of associations, nonprofit organizations, and industry partners that can exchange ideas and best practices. ASA sits on the National Environmental Education Foundation's Business Sustainability Education Roundtable, a forum for corporations, government agencies, and other organizations to share best practices, tools, resources, and tips on how to effectively engage their employees in sustainability education initiatives at work, at home, and in their communities. ASA encourages staffing firms to educate all of their employees on the importance of environmental sustainability. The reach of the staffing industry is broad, and staffing companies are well-placed to have a positive effect on environmental sustainability. This Web page is a resource to help you learn more about corporate social responsibility, to find the next steps for integrating it into your staffing firm, and to learn from existing initiatives.
Staffing for U.S. VeteransHelping veterans with career counseling and employment has been a top priority over the past several years for many ASA members. ASA is proud of the important contributions that the staffing industry has made, but there is more that needs to be done—unemployment among U.S. veterans is 12%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ASA is encouraging all its members to get involved in helping veterans find employment. Here are some resources to help you get started. Call of Duty Endowment HireVeterans.com Hiring Our Heroes Jobs for America's Heroes Shining Service Worldwide Veteran.com VetJobs.com Staffing and Diversity"For a staffing company, diversity takes on an even more important meaning," says Bill Yoh of Yoh Group, a member of the ASA board of directors. "We are in a unique position to directly affect the cultural makeup of our clients' work forces. Our commitment to diversity is shown through our efforts to become a truly inclusive business, where all people are valued and respected and the contributions of all employees and candidates are leveraged for greater productivity and performance."Diversity is a key element of corporate social responsibility. One way for your staffing firm to become a truly inclusive business is to integrate diversity into your operations by including and respecting the range of attributes that each employee contributes to your workplace. A self-assessment can help your staffing firm determine how to prioritize plans when building a diversity program. Know which are the key areas to consider in your diversity efforts. Download a staffing company diversity assessment tool (PDF 99 KB). ASA Care AwardThe ASA Care Award recognizes outstanding corporate social responsibility initiatives among ASA member companies and affiliated chapters. Five national winners will be selected each year to be honored during Staffing World® and featured in ASA publications. The five categories are: one staffing firm with less than $15 million in annual sales, one staffing firm with $15 million–$100 million in annual sales, one staffing firm with more than $100 million in annual sales, one industry supplier (a company that provides products or services to the staffing industry), and one ASA-affiliated chapter. Corporate Social Responsibility Resources for Staffing FirmsA variety of terms are used, sometimes interchangeably, to refer to corporate social responsibility. Read An Introduction to Corporate Social Responsibility and learn to sort through the variety of terms and definitions that are used to describe companies' efforts to address ethical practices, employee-friendly policies, environmental impact, governance, human rights, and community engagement within the core functions of the business.Corporate social responsibility can help companies improve their financial performance, enhance their reputation, and more. Use Staffing and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Business Case and Staffing and Diversity: The Business Case to show boards and executives how corporate social responsibility can benefit your staffing firm. Case studies can help staffing firms better understand corporate social responsibility challenges faced, solutions found, processes used, results achieved, and lessons learned by ASA member companies. Read corporate social responsibility and diversity case studies from the following ASA member companies: Forrest Solutions (PDF 49 KB), Volt Workforce Solutions (PDF 43 KB), and Winter, Wyman Cos. (PDF 51 KB). Share your company's experiences to highlight your success and help other businesses in the industry. Download a Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study Form (PDF 378 KB) or a Diversity Case Study Form (PDF 108 KB).
Preparing Tomorrow's Work ForceStaffing Firms' Commitment to Excellence in Public EducationThe American Staffing Association is committed to promoting excellence in public education by encouraging "at-risk" students to stay in school and finish their education. Preparing Tomorrow's Work Force is an initiative that provides career alternatives to students by introducing them to the world of work and providing opportunities for success. Immediate past ASA chairman Linda Carchidi, CSP, chief executive officer and co-founder of JFC Staffing Associates, says that staffing professionals have an insight into which skills employers expect from the prospective employees who are entering the work force. "Knowing the needs of our clients as we do, we are in a unique position to share what students will need to successfully enter tomorrow's work force." As an industry committed to providing employment opportunities, staffing firms can help prepare young people for the future by sharing the skills they need to qualify for productive jobs after graduation. While the primary responsibility for educating students lies with the education system, staffing firms can provide assistance by providing job training for students entering the work force. ASA members operate more than 15,000 offices throughout the nation in large and small communities, so they are uniquely positioned to carry out corporate policies and programs that will help to prepare children for tomorrow's work force and strengthen America's future. This list (43 KB DOC) provides ideas on how your staffing firm or ASA-affiliated chapter can contribute to strengthening tomorrow's work force. Many organizations are dedicated to helping companies improve their corporate social responsibility efforts. This list includes links to agencies, associations, and publications on corporate social responsibility and practices. If your firm wants to help prepare tomorrow's work force, this list (34 KB DOC) includes links to groups that can help companies start or expand a volunteering initiative directed toward schools and education.
ASA Corporate Social Responsibility CommitteeCompanies that have successful corporate social responsibility programs often have champions at the board or executive level. The mission of the ASA corporate social responsibility committee is to demonstrate the commitment of ASA and its members to corporate social responsibility, to promote its best practices within the staffing industry, and to recognize special accomplishments among ASA members.The ASA corporate social responsibility committee has a diversity subcommittee, which works to demonstrate the commitment of ASA and its members to diversity, to promote and educate about diversity within the staffing industry, and to recognize accomplishments with respect to diversity among ASA members. Corporate social responsibility programs and initiatives vary, and each can present unique legal issues. The material on these pages is informational in nature only and is not intended as legal advice. Corporate social responsibility programs and initiatives should be carefully crafted and should be implemented with guidance and advice from legal counsel.
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