EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2019 | Page 28

THE TENSION BETWEEN
AUTOMATION AND EMPLOYMENT
by Christi C. McGee
Vice President of Community Advocacy
Coca-Cola Consolidated
“Goodness is the only investment
that never fails.” - Henry David Thoreau
Y
ears ago, when I was early in my career in
Washington, D.C., (pre-Internet, I know!) the very
last thing I heard of was a company, association, or
non-profit incorporating a Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) strategy. Let’s be honest, until Bono introduced the
One Campaign, I really wasn’t paying too much attention
to the hip “trend” of CSR. Does anyone else remember
those INSPI(RED) t-shirts?
Wow, how times have changed.
With the explosion of social media and the 24-hour
news cycle, consumers demand more from business and
industry; there’s an expectation to do good. And, there
is simply nowhere to hide your corporate and brand
reputation.
Today, businesses are either already implementing
some sort of a CSR program (no longer a trend or a
competitive advantage) or trying to figure out how
to develop one. According to the 2019 Edelman Trust
Barometer Special Report: In Brands We Trust, “81 percent
of consumers link purchases to trust of the brand. I must
be able to trust the brand to do what is right.”
Most definitions of corporate social responsibility
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include elements of philanthropy and volunteer efforts
to affect societal change and impact. Increasingly,
frustration with either too much or too little government
intervention is also influencing companies and brands
to develop CSR programs to vocalize their beliefs on
certain policies or issues. A recent New York Times article
reported that, “companies also are under pressure from
customers and shareholders to demonstrate a broader
sense of responsibility for the long-term health of the
communities in which they operate. Some 86 percent of
Fortune 500 companies issued reports last year describing
the environmental and social impacts of their businesses
(Editorial Board, 2019, September 17. Forcing Companies
to Be Good).”
Niall Fitzgerald, former CEO of Unilever, sums it up
this way: “Corporate Social Responsibility is a hard-edged
business decision. Not because it is a nice thing to do or
because people are forcing us to do it, [but] because it is
good for our business.”
One of the best ways to understand a CSR strategy is to
take a deeper dive from the inside. I’m incredibly blessed
to share my experience at Coca-Cola Consolidated and our
approach to CSR, or as we say, our culture and community
engagement. It’s important to first understand who
we are:
Our Purpose to Honor God, Serve Others, Pursue
Excellence, and Grow Profitably remains the
cornerstone of our Company and our Culture. We
aspire to have a Purpose-driven organization, led
by Servant Leaders focused on the development on
the minds, bodies and spirits of our teammates
and partners.
As the nation’s largest bottler, Coke Consolidated
employs nearly 17,000 teammates, operates in 14 states
and Washington, D.C., and refreshes over 66 million
consumers. But what makes us truly unique in the Coca-
Cola System is our culture and Purpose-driven business