A responsibility, a benefit and a privilege
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 12th July 2021
Mark Topley, The CSR Coach, will be speaking at The Dentistry Show London this September. He will be among an eclectic line-up of speakers offering their expert insights into important topics for dental professionals today. Ahead of his presentations, he considers why CSR (Corporate Social responsibility) is so important for modern dental practices…
The reason CSR has become really important for practices today is that consumer expectations around business have dramatically shifted. If the surveys are to be believed, these have become even more pronounced during the pandemic. A few years ago, people just wanted a product and they didn’t really mind how it was produced. Nowadays people are expecting businesses to be ethical, sustainable and more throughout their normal business operations. This means that people expect their dentist to demonstrate that they care for the environment, that they care about people and that they’re making a contribution to their community. People want more from all the businesses they buy from – including macro global companies and local SMEs – they want them to be responsible.
Many people in dentistry now know what they need to do to be more responsible and how they should behave. The question is how do they implement that in a way that doesn’t detract from running a business or delivering excellent patient care. If it’s done well, then CSR is like a stick of rock – it runs through the entire business and the way that the business operates. It should be considered as a lens through which you judge every business decision, as well as the additional activities that you might do in terms of charity partnerships and volunteering, general environmental protocols etc. A major challenge that dentists have is that they’re first and foremost practitioners. Their heads are down while they treat patients, so they have less time to work on the business. Finding time to do this is key to making CSR work.
For those starting out with CSR, I would recommend downloading my ’60 minute CSR plan’ (found at marktopley.co.uk) for a really straightforward guide on the whole topic. It’s important to start with the three areas of CSR – people, environment and community – and choose one thing to focus on for each quarter. Write it down. Write what you plan to improve and how you’re going to do it and make an appointment with yourself for three months’ time to see how it’s gone. The more you can do as you get started with CSR, the easier it will be in the long-run.
Some of the main benefits of CSR are related to team engagement. People want to work for a business that cares and makes a difference. If you can align people’s personal values and aspirations with what they do at work, they’ll see that they are working towards their life goals. Whether they care about personal development, supporting the community or being part of a respected business, achieving this will have a massive impact on their job satisfaction and, in turn, their engagement. When businesses are purpose-driven and led responsibly, people love to go to work. So much of running a successful business nowadays is not about the bricks and mortar. Rather, it’s about the hearts and minds of the people that work for you and of the people you’re trying to attract.
There’s also advantages in terms of reputation with patients. As already mentioned, patients will appreciate a dental practice that they believe is good for the area, good for the community and good for the environment. Every business has a responsibility to seriously consider control of its environmental footprint in every way that it possibly can. Many people are passionate about this today and most will consider this when choosing a dental practice.
The final incentive to optimise CSR is that, when done well, it feels good. There’s a real satisfaction in reaching the end of your work day knowing that you’ve not only had a successful day commercially, but you’ve done so with respect for other people and the planet. That’s a legacy to be proud of.
If you’d like to know more about how you can enhance your CSR, I’ll be discussing the topic in detail at The Dentistry Show London this September. We all realise that online meetings are fantastic but we have really missed the interaction, the immersive nature, the relationships and the human contact of live events. The Dentistry Show London will provide a fantastic opportunity to get together once again and I’m really looking forward to it!
Don’t miss Mark in the NHS & Business Theatre at The Dentistry Show London this September!
London Dentistry Show 2021
Friday 17th and Saturday 18th September
Olympia London
Register for free at www.londondentistryshow.co.uk
