Jeanne McDonagh: Going beyond charity to embrace corporate social justice

Business leaders and policymakers will have to do more around creating and delivering positive social benefits.

The Open Doors Initiative, or ODI, is a not-for-profit organisation that creates pathways to education, employment, and entrepreneurship for marginalised individuals. We are calling on Irish business leaders to step up and play their part in delivering for a new era of corporate social justice.

At a recent gathering of business leaders and government representatives, ODI in partnership with hiring platform Indeed provided a platform for speakers and panel discussions on the topic of corporate social justice and the measures that will be needed to make a difference.

Business leaders heard how Ireland is on the cusp of having to deal with major social challenges that will affect all aspects of our lives.

The issues include migration, housing pressures, climate change, diversity and inclusion.

Socio-economic and political challenges are affecting consumers, businesses, employees, and the wider society. Corporations have a key role to play in how we can improve the way we live.

Companies are now being challenged to reexamine their Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, policies and embrace a far more compelling and challenging Corporate Social Justice agenda.

The movement towards Corporate Social Justice is just beginning in Ireland and there is more to be done.

The Irish business and human rights benchmark report, published by the Trinity Centre for Social Innovation, highlighted that around half of the 50 largest companies in the Irish economy are underperforming on human rights.

The Government is in the process of developing a second National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, designed to guide businesses to understand their human rights responsibilities.

Business leaders and policymakers will have to do more around creating and delivering positive social benefits. Corporate Social Justice goes beyond doing charity work and to help the experiences of groups disadvantaged by, or worse, harmed by society. The Open Doors Initiative encompasses internships, scholarships, training courses, and various employment opportunities.

It provides support to individuals from diverse backgrounds and abilities, including refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, people with disabilities, disadvantaged youth, and other marginalised groups.

Launched in 2018, the Open Doors Initiative has helped over 75,000 people so far by its various programmes. In its most recent annual report, Open Doors Initiative companies invested over €1.2m to fund or support programmes and participation for marginalised groups.

It is a way of promoting measures to boost trust between a company and its employees, customers, shareholders, and the broader community, with the goal of explicitly doing good by all of them.

Corporate Social Justice is far more than just giving back to the community. It is about improving the society in which organisations operate. Companies are not islands and their actions cause ripples throughout their communities. Strong leadership and collective action by companies are needed to develop societies that welcome diversity and offer opportunities for everyone.

And it is not about seeking to win awards and plaudits, which can be the case with traditional initiatives. Corporate Social Justice is about a company-wide and leader-led approaches that commit to positive change in communities and society in general. Business leaders need to think about the legacy they want their company to leave behind and to ponder their personal commitments to social benefit. It also means getting informed on issues and understanding underlying factors weighing on housing, Ireland’s migration history, racism, and the rise of the far right. It is not meant to be a comfortable process.

Jeanne McDonagh, chief executive of Open Doors Initiative, previously worked as head of society and engagement at Diageo. In 2021, she was named one of the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise Initiative by the European-based Euclid Network