When it comes to corporate global citizenship, it
is no longer enough to say that it is about “complying with the law, treating
employees fairly, and donating money to good causes” (Crittenden et al, 2011).
Currently, expectations and demand for global performance are rising and
company success is based largely on responsibility to business practices.
I think that employee volunteering should be a
large component of corporate global citizenship. This is based on a study from
TimeBank by the British Psychological Society (2011), showing that most
employees considered volunteering an excellent way to introduce new skills into
the workplace. As I can vouch, volunteering not only produces a sense of
self-satisfaction, it also increases happiness, wellbeing, and responsibility;
all key to a healthy and proficient work environment. As ITT (2012) claims, “a
great company can be measured by its people”, and if employees spend time
volunteering, they will be globally responsible people. With that
said, there are many other factors making up corporate global citizenship.
According to Crittenden et al (2011), corporate
global citizenship is about developing relationships between “the company and …
employees, customers, communities, suppliers, investors, … NGOs and activists
through the implementation of the company’s strategies and operating
practices.” Definitions are broad and the concept could incorporate
understanding the operating environment, knowing management domains, developing
a stakeholder engagement program, and appropriately measuring/reporting
activities related to global corporate citizenship (Berger, Cunningham, &
Drumwright, 2007).
Companies such as HP Pty Ltd, Abbott Laboratories,
and ITT Engineered for Life are fulfilling many of these requirements. They
maintain global citizenship through inclusion and diversity, workplace safety,
training and mentoring, fair labour practices, and human rights
agreements.