Affiliations: Production Engineering Department, Universdade de Sao
Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Note: [] Corresponding author: Ivan Bolis, Production Engineering
Department of the Universidade de São Paulo, av. Prof. Almeida Prado,
Travessa 2, N° 128, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo – SP,
CEP: 05508-070, Brazil. Tel.: +55 11 3091 5363; Fax: +55 11 3091 5399; E-mail:
bolis.ivan@yahoo.it
Abstract: BACKGROUND: By introducing policies for sustainability and
social responsibility, companies declare their interest in caring for all
stakeholders, including workers. OBJECTIVE: To analyze how and which
themes related to work practices and to workers are approached in the discourse
of corporations are considered sustainable and socially responsible. Based on
ergonomic principles, more elements are brought into this discussion, viewed
from a strategic perspective for the development of corporations and society. PARTICIPANTS: Data collected from 20 corporations considered more
sustainable according to an assessment made by the Corporate Knights
organization. METHODS: Multiple-case study, based on the analysis of
secondary sources content (websites and reports). Analysis of websites and
reports by their content, and their classification according to the aspects
present in the thematic of work practices and of human rights elaborated by
standard ISO 26000. RESULTS: Corporations show that the worker is one
of the stakeholders to be considered in their sustainability and social
responsibility policies. However, it's not possible using this method to obtain
effective evidences related to actual programs performed by companies in order
to demonstrate the real importance of workers in sustainable polices. CONCLUSIONS: The discipline of ergonomics could be active in improving
the implementation of corporate social responsibility policies, especially by
emphasizing the social dimension of these policies.
Keywords: Work practices, corporate social responsibility, corporate sustainability, corporate strategic policies
