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Mumbai, 27 June, 2013 - Global research from Ipsos finds that employees in India have one of the highest regards for corporate social responsibility. More than half (51%) of employees in India believe it is important to them that their employer acts responsibly towards the society.
The Ipsos survey of 24 nations showed that feelings about corporate responsibility were highest in Brazil (65%), Mexico (59%), Argentina (57%), Indonesia (55%) and India (51%), where more than half of workers said it was very important for their employers to be responsible to the society and the environment.
But in Japan and France less than 20 percent of workers felt the same way, and in Spain, Belgium, Germany, South Korea and China the number was less than 30 percent.
In other developed nations it ranged from 30 percent in Britain and 32 percent in the United States to 35 percent in Australia and 37 percent in Canada.
"The key message that comes out of the survey is that companies can?t neglect corporate social responsibility. Employees believe it is important for their employers to be a responsible corporate citizen for being respected as a socially responsible organization," said Biswarup Banerjee, Head of Marketing Communication and in charge of CSR for Ipsos in India.
"CSR is a vital tool to boost business and employee morale, it brings in a sense of pride in the organisation, engenders teamwork and is a source of inspiration and connectedness," he added.
Twenty three percent Indian employees think that their employer must contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country, 21 percent say their company should respect and adhere to local laws and rights, 19 percent feel their company should prioritize workplace safety, and 18 percent think their company should maintain sustainable environmental practices.
Thirteen percent Indian employees feel fulfilling financial and commercial targets to increase shareholders value should be the prime focus and only 6 percent employees feel companies should leave behind conditions for sustainable development even after operations are closed.
About seven in ten (67%) Indians think that companies should pay more attention to the environment and more than half (58%) Indians expect companies should do more to contribute towards the society.
Interestingly only 45 percent Indian will consider a company?s commitment towards social responsibility when forming a decision about buying a product or service.
Globally employees also consider a company?s behavior when making choices about products and services. About half of the people in Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico said they are likely to think about a firm?s social responsibility when buying something, compared to 15 percent or less in France, Japan, Belgium and Germany.
Globally 61 percent of respondents thought companies should pay more attention to the environment, and 52 said they should contribute more to the society.
Globally three most important things companies must do to be respected, according to the Ipsos poll, are: prioritize workplace safety, contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country, and abide by local laws and rights.
Ipsos questioned a total of 18,150 adults for the online survey conducted from April 2 to 16.
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