Employee Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility within the Pharmaceutical Industry

Abstract

The role corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays amongst employees is underrated within the pharmaceutical industry, which focuses predominantly on external stakeholders and financial gain. The impact of CSR on these internal stakeholders is thus important in an industry that relies on its employees to deliver on medicine development and accessibility. Aim This study aimed to identify employee perceptions of CSR within the pharmaceutical industry. Method An online quantitative questionnaire was shared via email amongst 80 employees of amultinational pharmaceutical company’s group corporate office. Questions were based on CSR activity influencing employee motivation, impacting employee productivity, and the extent to which CSR allowed for value alignment. Results The 91.7% response rate proved results were credible. Results indicated that 78.8% of employees believed CSR strategies created motivation amongst them, with 57.6% of employees stating CSR motivated them be more productive. Open-ended questions reiterated this, further proving that employees felt inclusive CSR strategies led to a positive impact on productivity. Moreover, 96.9% of employees viewed CSR as an opportunity to align company and employee values, yet only 63.6% thought the pharmaceutical company committed to achieving this. Discussion and Conclusion The findings therefore allow pharmaceutical companies to reanalyse their business models and improve business strategies to consider employee perspectives when implementing CSR. As motivation, productivity and value alignment increases, the workforce within the pharmaceutical industry is positively influenced. The study thus concluded that CSR is a powerful force in bringing about progressive change within the pharmaceutical industry.