After finsihing the Graeber's Bullshit Jobs book, I've been thinking about this. Here are the reasons:
- Most of the tasks performed by CSR managers could be performed by fewer people. Recycling at the workplace? Ask the facilities manager. Non-discriminatory hiring procedures? Call the HR department. Now, obviously, we could argue that CSR managers are just “overseers” that make things run smoothly. However, I've never seen “digital managers” nor “globalisation managers” at digital nor global companies. In order to work there, you had to have a digital or global mindset, respectively. Then, you are either socially responsible or not and if that's the core principle of the company, it should only hire people that believe in the said principle.
- It seems to me that, for the vast majority of the companies that run it, CSR is just another virtue-signalling activity that is never planned nor managed by people from affected communities (I'm talking about CSR related to disability, race relations, etc.). And, for this reason, it hardly ever helps anyone… Maybe apart from that company that makes it seem as if it cares.