Society is a stakeholder in your business in that society is impacted by your business decisions as much as your employees and investors. In the wake of past ethics scandals and environmental disasters, it has become important for companies to consider the environment and ethics in their business decisions.

Corporate social responsibility means minimizing your company's negative effect on, and creating positive change for society. It is about balancing the need for profit with your impact on your community and environment.

Socially responsible businesses are those that go beyond mere compliance. They minimize waste through recycling, and protect the environment through the use of safe resources and the proper handling of harmful resources. They create positive change in society through community and charitable activities. Most importantly, socially responsible companies are also creating more civic-minded, responsible citizens by setting a socially responsible example for their employees.

CCI was founded in 1974 by Kay Dawson as Wichita Word Processing. With the coming of the computer age, demand for word processing services was dwindling. Dawson began offering lettershop (mailing) services to businesses in the Wichita area. She soon after renamed the company Contemporary Communications to reflect her new place in the computer age.

In today’s business world, Dawson’s business philosophy is rare. She places employee welfare at the top of her priorities. Examples of her concern for her employees’ welfare include flexible hours to accommodate babysitter and school schedules, personal loans to employees having financial problems, and she has been known to set up appointments and personally drive employees to medical facilities when they need counseling or rehabilitation.

This socially responsible philosophy toward her employees also permeates her business and personal life. I sat down with Kay to ask her what kinds of things she does to be socially responsible, why she thinks it is important, what benefits she reaps, and how her philosophy has influenced her employees.

Scott: What kinds of socially responsible activities are you involved in?

Kay: We make many contributions to charitable causes both in cash and what we call in-kind contributions. That means when we offer services that are of benefit to an organization, such as KPTS or Crime Stoppers, we perform the work at no cost to them instead of just making a cash donation.

Scott: What are the benefits of in-kind contributions?

Kay: This way of helping non-profits really helps those organizations get the services they need without breaking their budgets. It builds strong relationships with community organizations and generates good will. And the best kind of advertising is word-of-mouth. But most of all, in-kind contributions involve the employees in the donation. It’s a team effort and they take ownership of this community service we’re performing.

Scott: What are some of the organizations you are in involved with?

Kay: We work with many organizations such as KPTS, Ronald McDonald House, Dodge House, The Orpheum, and Crime Stoppers. I am a former board member of Crime Stoppers and remain a member to this day. I am currently on the board of Positive Directions which offers visitation and transportation services to homebound HIV/AIDS patients.

Scott: What kind of things do you involve your employees in?

Kay: Blood drives. We invite the Red Cross here 3 times a year to set up their blood mobile. Employees volunteer and are allowed to donate blood on company time. We often take up collections to help families of natural disasters such as tornadoes and floods. Most recently, the employees donated several hundred dollars and bags of clothing and food for a family that had lost their entire home to a natural gas explosion. And I send several employees to get CPR and First Aid training each year.

Scott: There was a special reason you chose this particular site when it came time for you to move to a larger building.

Kay: I heard once that HUD was encouraging business to move into impoverished areas. This building used to house a large manufacturing plant that was a real benefit to this neighborhood. The plant closed many years ago and the neighborhood fell into decline. It became a haven for criminals, gangs, drugs, and homeless. The building and grounds were in disrepair but it was big enough. I thought, if we have to move, why not do some good for others at the same time.

Scott: But you could have moved in a newer building anywhere else for less expense.

Kay: Yes, but we seem to really be making a difference here. We cleaned up the building and grounds and it gave the neighborhood new life. More businesses are starting to move in and we are supporting them with our business also. It is really becoming a great neighborhood. By the way, we also are the founding member of our Business Neighborhood Watch program for this neighborhood.

Scott: There was a press release recently about a fitness center. Tell me more about that.

Kay: For many years now, I have brought a nurse in to administer flu shots to anyone that wanted one. Last year, we decided to expand on that by creating our own wellness committee. The committee began by surveying all the employees about what they’d like to see us do to improve their health and lifestyles. The top two requests were for healthy food in the break room and an exercise room. We changed most of the snacks in the break room over to healthy food. Then we took on our biggest investment ever. We built a 1,100 square foot fitness room right inside our building. The room was constructed and equipped entirely with company money. Along with the exercise equipment, I also have a massage therapist here one day each week.

Scott: What kind of participation are you seeing?

Kay: About 80% of employees donate blood 3 times per year. And we have over 20% participation in the fitness room. My wellness committee tells me that is above average for corporate fitness programs.

Scott: It all sounds very expensive. As a privately owned, small company, how do you budget for all this?

Kay: Well, we certainly don’t have cash lying around we don’t know what to do with. Of course we pay attention to our spending but it is money well spent. We could spend that money on advertising or equipment or just pocket it. I feel strongly about my employees’ family life, their health and lifestyles, and my community. I want to set an example, to instill in them these values.

Scott: And have you been successful?

Kay: That’s hard to gauge. I see them working out in the fitness room. I see them donating blood and giving their hard-earned money to help others. I see them taking pride in the building and the neighborhood. But that they are more likely to do these things in their personal life now than before they worked here is hard to say. I believe they are more likely to approach their communities in a caring way, to be more civic-minded. I can say that all company-sponsored activities are voluntary and we have strong participation.

Conclusion
Kay Dawson instills her sense of community and social responsibility in her employees through example. She is personally involved in many community and non-profit organizations and donates company profits and labor to charitable organizations regularly. While other companies are concerned with maximizing profit and minimizing cost, investing large sums in advertising, and compliance, Kay Dawson is creating civic-minded, socially responsible employees.

CCI is recognized in their community as a socially responsible business. The monetary return on investment is unknown, but CCI’s above average employee retention rate and company reputation is an intangible reward.

There is no direct evidence that Dawson’s employees are more likely to behave more socially responsible as a result of their employment with CCI. The strong participation of employees in charitable activities, however, is an indication that Dawson is succeeding in inspiring them to be socially responsible.