A blessed and peaceful New Year morning, Sri Lanka! The festive countdown is over. The midnight candlelit services have been well attended. Now at daybreak the church and temple bells are beckoning early risers to come and worship. It is the beginning of a new era and the festive chimes along with the thunder of firecrackers are heralding an event of renewal, a season of joy and an occasion for understanding and new commitments.
We are aware that in keeping with the spirit of altruism various fundraising efforts are being initiated by individuals and businesses big and small. That is a healthy sign and augurs well for the country. Yes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has caught on fast in Sri Lanka and is spreading commendably. It means the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.
The good news for the season is that those who work in CSR is that the issues related to better governance are steadily rising in the corporate agenda. CSR is finally being seen as a direct driver of revenue growth and profitability. This represents a huge shift from the old days when companies simply made a donation to a local charity particularly during this time of year and left it at that.
Those who believe in the merits of more socially responsible business are convincing their mainstream peer organisations that a CSR strategy, with employee engagement as its heart, can make them more profitable and productive while doing their bit for society too.
On the whole, what is being emphasised to the influential business community is that the accomplishments and contentment of running organisations comes not from drawing in the profits but from forking out from the heart for the less fortunate in society. We all have a responsibility or rather a bounden duty to do whatever within our means to offer the youth of our country a dream and vision for their future.”
Critical to the success of such a mission is the powerful influence that employee engagement has in CSR and the role sustainability plays in employee motivation. Employees generally feel motivated to work for companies knowing that they actually give a thought about wider society and they are more likely to be productive and put extra effort in for those organisations.
A whole host of people have been working hard this year to make at least Christmas Day a merry one for the less fortunate. Still CSR is not just for Christmas, but should be a sustained, compelling part of any business offering. We salute every organisation and person who has given of their time, talents, resources and generosity to help the cause of human suffering. Kindness comes in many forms but all of it helps.
Earnings no longer keep pace with inflation and income inequality has become a target for sustained criticism by millions of people no longer able to share in the dream of success based on hard work. We must pay particular attention to the efforts of students this year who are learning early the importance of contributing to their community, especially in its times of need.
It feels like a holiday tradition: another Christmas, another crisis - a desperate cry for help from some charity whose survival depends on you to save the day and we cannot just be driven by business performance alone. Until our economy recovers and is restructured to allow all who follow the rules to make the gains they deserve, we will be faced with growing problems of poverty, hunger and homelessness. Thank goodness for the many, many volunteers who don’t wait for someone else to step up who give and give and give some more so that someone, somewhere feels some love this Christmas and keeps it up throughout the year.
Christmas is essentially a holiday of lights. It gives a chance for everyone to light up the lives of our compatriots in need. It is a holiday in which we can all spread a little bit of hope, if only because we have socially mandated it onto ourselves that it’s a holiday of kindness. It is a holiday for children, not in the sense that it is immature but in the sense that they must be at the centre of it, for nothing defines a family better than a child.
Hope is a powerful force in our lives and Christmas brings hope. Christmas is also for those who have been longing for some kindness. They may have been devout in their religious observance, but still understand that their only hope is for some beneficence to come to them in the guise of compassionate fellow beings. They have been waiting for relief to show up. And it will, through us, if only we would care to extend our hands in generosity.
Preparations for the coming year are in full swing in every business – from planning marketing campaigns to projecting sales targets to hiring new faces. This is also the time for holidays and with festive cheer in the air, it is an ideal time to spread some happiness. A year-end CSR activity can do a whole lot of good for your business – you can spread some joy both among your employees as well as the more underprivileged sections of the society.
It will be harder still to believe that the seasonal cheer would really come to them, or that they would find a way to share in its universal joy. Everyone, regardless of their sundry spiritual beliefs, should reflect on the needs of the dispossessed and destitute. Nonetheless, it is the season of goodwill and not a time for criticism or for turning an intolerant eye on our disadvantaged fellow citizens.
To be sure, we are amid the season of good cheer, the time of year when every responsible Sri Lankan must make a tangible effort to help in the rehabilitation and rebuilding process of the war-ravaged and natural disaster areas in any small way possible. It is time to be supportive and restore some relief to our less-fortunate compatriots. Every Sri Lankan has a role to play in the rebuilding of our country. No one can expect the government to provide all the benefits the country needs.
The private sector also needs to chip in, to take on part of the burden to help build in the development process, the infrastructure and help in some way. To be a competitive nation, we require a large infusion of infrastructure, education and the creation of opportunities.
This is not political. This is not religious. This is not economic. This all translates into being humane. May your heart be filled with the delight of giving, as it is the expression of the love in your heart and the kindness in your soul.
Wishing you all a Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, love and joy!
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