The View from the Boardroom - UNDP Trinidad and Tobago

The View from the Boardroom - CEO Study on Corporate Social Responsibility in Trinidad and TobagoQ: If you look around in the Private Sector in Trinidadand Tobago, would you say that the local businesscommunity is sufficiently engaged in CSR?CP: A lot of what is done still feels like philanthropy. Howdoes society sustainably benefit from what you are tryingto do? And how does your organization and its people alsobenefit? If you cannot answer those two questions throughpartnering, then you are not really doing CSR.As a member of the Chemical Industry Association ofCanada, Methanex uses its tagline of ‘A Responsible CareCompany’. Responsible Care is good business and socialresponsibility is an extension of it. We are a responsiblecare company and that covers safety, the environment,people, fence line communities and the wider society, thewhole umbrella.Q: If you look at CSR and corporate volunteerismthrough the human resource lens, what are for youthe tangible benefits that the company derives frommobilising volunteers among its staff?CP: You have to see how the light bulb goes off in aperson when they can make a tangible difference to thelife of another human being. Volunteerism gives meaningto employees’ performance and workplace interactionbecause it builds leadership skills, teamwork and a specialcamaraderie that grows through social interaction. Veryimportantly, their values are aligned with those of theorganization. This synergy makes volunteering easy; itmakes devoting their 9/80 days off to community-giving aneasy choice.Q: It seems that you haven’t got any problems to mobilisecorporate volunteers and that there is an outpouringand an interest and a high degree of motivation. A lotof other companies have expressed frustration overthe difficulty of going beyond the ‘usual suspects’, thehandful of employees who always volunteer.CP: In terms of volunteerism, there will always be theusual suspects but you have to find ways of bringing morepeople into the limelight. As a CEO, I lead the charge ingetting more employees engaged in volunteer efforts. Thebiggest CSR leader in the corporation has to be the CEO.My presence at every function and weekend sessions goesa long way in showing that I care. Internally, the care givento employees’ well-being and health, particularly throughan onsite state-of-the-art wellness facility, cafeteria andmedical centre, is causing them to reflect on how fortunatethey are. Recognition of volunteers by the company andtheir peers is also motivating more persons in giving backto others who are less fortunate.Q: What is your view on the nonprofit organizationsand their capacity to become partners for businesses?CP: You cannot partner with every NGO. You can actphilanthropically towards NGOs but you cannot enter intotrue partnerships with too many NGOs because they haveto fit the social fabric of your organization. For example,our employees are more inclined to projects which theycan identify with and invest sweat equity in – like buildingand painting houses for students and their families, inconjunction with Habitat for Humanity. They hesitate to helpsome NGOs because monthly salary deductions feel tooimpersonal. Therefore, it needs to be an NGO that meetsthe social psyche of your organization.46