By silicon.com, 25 August 2006 13:25
This week on silicon.com we looked at the issue of corporate social responsibility which is now high on the agendas of most companies because of the benefits it can deliver.
We revealed those benefits are very much a two-way street and the companies we spoke to all admitted there has to be a business case behind charitable works.
But it was refreshing to put to rest the notion that these companies are only doing it in return for positive PR coverage and healthy tax breaks.
The value of the projects to the communities they help absolutely justifies them on merit alone but the greatest benefit to the companies appears to be staff motivation and the satisfaction employees get out of either being directly involved in community projects or in seeing that their employer has a heart and is making a difference.
At a time when staff retention within the IT industry and the issue of attracting the right staff are becoming increasingly important, these kinds of projects can give companies a real edge.
We should also make it absolutely clear the companies we've spoken to and written about are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are companies throughout the IT industry involved in similar work. Many choose to interpret the work to be done in different ways, not just work with disadvantaged groups but also by running green projects or striving towards carbon neutrality.
In these cynical times it's easy to look at the charitable efforts of large companies and assume they've got the money and it's in their best interests to give, so we shouldn't be too fulsome in our praise.
But irrespective of the motives - though there are few hidden agendas here - it is good work which wouldn't otherwise be done.
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