Organizations may "externalize" problems, i.e., hold external factors responsible for health or environmental issues. Increasingly, the consequences to society of externalization are no longer regarded as normal or acceptable. Organizations are now expected to solve the problems they cause by acting responsibly and by "inclusive thinking and acting," i.e., by taking the consequences of their business activities for society and specific stakeholders into account in their decisions. They are also expected to be active in the solution of global, local, or regional societal problems. Companies are increasingly eager to demonstrate that their business practices are responsible, as they come to discover that many consumers, as well as business customers, may prefer to do business with responsible enterprises.
The increase of psychosocial risks in society offers an example of a societal development to which organizations can directly contribute to reducing the societal problem by managing psychosocial risks at their workplaces properly, thereby preventing the shift of problems to society, workers, and their families. Furthermore, good psychosocial risk management is clearly linked to good business. It may lead to a more productive workforce in terms of less absence, more positive engagement, and greater mental flexibility. In this chapter, the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and psychosocial risk management will be explored through the presentation of key findings from a European project that focused on the development of a European framework for psychosocial risk management at the workplace level (PRIMA-EF).
What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?
With increasing globalization and greater environmental and social awareness, the concept of organizations' responsibilities extending beyond purely legal or profitrelated aspects has gained impetus. In order to succeed, business now has to be seen to be acting responsibly towards people, planet, and profit (the so-called '3Ps')