”DET ÄR INGENTING JAG TÄNKER PÅ. DET ÄR SÅ NATURLIGT PÅ NÅGOT SÄTT.” En kvalitativ studie om HR-praktikers upplevelser av CSR-arbete i relation till deras organisation

Abstract

This study wants to examine the relationship between Human Resources (HR) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It seems that HR has the possibility to influence the organization's work with social responsibility. Even though there are several aspects that indicate that HR should work with CSR there is no previous research in the Swedish labor market that examines this relationship. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how HR contribute to the work with CSR in organizations at the Swedish labor market and examine whether the work is affected by how concordant HR- practitioners consider them to be with their current organization regarding CSR-issues. The survey is a qualitative study based on eight semistructured interviews with HR-practitioners employed at various organizations in the Swedish labor market. The empirical data consist of answers from the interviews. The interviews lasted between 25 to 55 minutes. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the empirical data. With the thematic analysis, the report identified two different themes that were analyzed based on the theory and previous research presented in the report. The results show that HR do work with CSR although unconsciously. They seem to be relatively unaware that their work assignments contain CSR. The report also shows that CSR as a term is not widely used, instead the term sustainability was more commonly used in the examined organizations. The results also show that HR lacks knowledge and competence to operate the CSR-work that includes integrating economic and environmental sustainability into their business strategy and operations. HR did have the competence to execute the aspect of social sustainability. The report suggests that HR- practitioners should raise awareness of CSR in their daily work to contribute to the organization's social responsibility in a broad way.