Features:
Central and Eastern Europe: Poland – Business’s head-start on trust

Corporate social responsibility is a relatively new concept in Poland. Research shows that public expectations of the business sector in Poland are mostly related to employment conditions. Partly as a result, there is a growing awareness among managers in larger Polish firms that fair treatment of employees improves worker motivation and efficiency.

The country faces the cultural problem of a lack of trust, which contributes to a low level of social capital. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer 2008, only about 12 per cent of Poles trust each other, and only 11 per cent trust their government to do what is right. The Polish “elites” have less trust in their government than those in any other country surveyed. On the other hand, 45 per cent of Poles trust businesses, 38 per cent trust non-governmental organisations and 37 per cent trust the Polish media.

It is becoming obvious that business ethics have an important role to play in modern Poland. Multinationals that are the global leaders in corporate responsibility can help provide Polish companies with some insights. Domestic companies in Poland often do not perceive themselves as being able to play a role in improving social conditions. Generally, Polish companies look to improve relations with stakeholders by sponsoring local community initiatives. Many are simply not aware that corporate responsibility represents an opportunity to improve trust, management standards and reputation as well as being simply good business risk-management.

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