The SIA Group, a social landlord (housing association) with nearly 600 personnel and a head office located in Douai (northern France), is the region's third largest private operator of subsidized housing. The Group has adopted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles at the heart of its strategy as a means of ensuring respect and outreach for all stakeholders.
The SIA Group views CSR as an opportunity for innovation and differentiation, elevating its application in introducing a viable model for corporate development:
- based on an audit conducted by VIGEO using a benchmark specific to its own activity
- by making commitments on the 7 key issues at the core of the CSR approach
- through involving certain stakeholders in its governance strategy
- in implementing a set of CSR indicators.
The SIA Group is the first social landlord to have been audited by VIGEO covering all 22 CSR criteria, 11 of which have given rise to an overhaul in operating policy and 10 others to recently adopted actions.
These actions can be broken down into the 7 key issues in a CSR approach: governance, human rights, working relations and conditions, best business practices, respect of clients, environmental protection, and societal commitment.
Some stakeholders are involved on the governance side: 3 local authorities and 3 tenants' representatives have a seat on the Supervisory Board, share in crafting the strategic vision and benefit from special reporting focusing on actions underway. Coordination bodies have also been set up to dialogue with residents' associations. The process of assigning housing units is especially transparent, and tenants elect their representatives to sit on SIA's executive bodies.
The Group involves its entire staff in the CSR approach:
- via management of the strategic project;
- by rallying support from employees regarding sustainable development challenges;
- with a social investment fund to expand actions in favor of vulnerable and underprivileged tenants.
Multi-channel internal communications serve to support this approach through dissemination of all messages relative to stakeholders' interests.
Best Practice spotted in 2011 dans updated in 2014.
20.7% of tenants' representatives with seats on the SIA Housing Council,
22.5% of tenants' representatives with seats on the LTO Housing Council.
Eric ALEXANDRE, Directeur de l'Immobilier et de la Communication
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