A clear business case: integrating corporate responsibility through management strategy in Rousset

Corporate responsibility is part of the culture at ST Rousset, with wide recognition that responsible decision-making makes sound business sense.

For Rousset, there are clear business benefits in matching corporate goals with those of our employees, our customers, and our local community, in a sound and long-term CR strategy.

Employees have strong personal expectations connected with CR, they are the ones pushing for initiatives and actions; the way we implement CR strategies has a direct impact on motivation and productivity as well as talent retention.

But the benefits of integrating CR in our management strategy are not limited to a motivated workforce. There is a positive knock-on effect for company reputation and relationships with other stakeholders, to which we attach strong importance. Integration in the local community is vital to business success; it enhances ST's reputation locally, it facilitates recruitment and innovation, and it secures our 'license to operate,' helping us to reduce exposure to risks and associated costs.

This culture of responsibility helps us through tough times when our reputation could suffer. Recently, while the company was going through a difficult period of restructuring, the management of Rousset site quite naturally considered that it had to help its 400 temporary employees find a new job when their 18-month contract with ST expired. This proactive and responsible stance makes it easier for Rousset to build effective relationships with local political and administrative structures as well as with professional and educational organizations. And in turn these relationships make it easier for Rousset to do business.

On top of that, Rousset has developed many R&D partnerships with local schools and universities, such as the Centre Microélectronique de Provence (CMP), the Ecole Généraliste d'Ingénieurs de Marseille (EGIM) and other graduate schools; our presence in the SCS (Secured Communication Solutions) Competitiveness Cluster provides a continual source of innovative ideas and activities that support the business.

Employee opinion survey: a mirror for self-improvement

Acknowledging the importance of company image, reputation and culture for corporate responsibility was the message Rousset received from its last employee opinion survey. Building on its existing efforts in this area, the site undertook a number of actions that fall squarely in the domain of CR, whether relating to employees or other local stakeholders. For example:

• A recognition program to acknowledge outstanding contributions by individuals or teams. In 2005, about 600 staff achieved recognition under the program, winning vouchers and being honored at new recognition ceremonies
• A commission to ensure equality between men and women on the site
• A 'weekly family day' on Saturday afternoons when family and friends can look around the site
• Yearly 'application weeks' when staff can find out about the final applications of the chips produced by ST
• Yearly training plans to help staff develop their skills
• An 'ST reputation survey' to gather the feedback of 500 regional citizens and build action plans based on their suggestions and comments.