CSR professionals: happy, secure and well paid

CSR professionals are "overwhelmingly happy" with their positions, commanding significant salaries and experiencing a greater degree of job security than many of their fellow managers, according to a new survey of UK executives working in corporate social responsibility.

The survey of more than 350 CSR professionals was carried out by CSR consultancy Acona, green recruitment firm Acre Resources and Ethical Performance newsletter, and found that median salaries for in-house CSR executives stood at £45,000 to £50,000.

Moreover, it confirmed high levels of job satisfaction across the sector with eight out of 10 respondents claiming they were happy with their current role and 97 per cent stating that they would recommend CSR positions to other people.

Andy Cartland, managing director at Acre Resources, said that the data confirmed "both personal observation and anecdotal evidence that those working in the sector are overwhelmingly happy with their lot".

The high levels of job satisfaction are likely to be attributed to the "deep personal interest" that many CSR executives have in environmental and ethical issues, according to Paul Burke, senior partner at Acona.

The survey also revealed that despite the onset of recession, the growing importance of CSR to many firms meant that a relatively high proportion of executives still feel secure in their roles.

Over half of respondents said they felt just as secure now as they did a year ago, while 15 per cent said they felt more secure.

"Although there appears to be a consensus that CSR has become more, not less, relevant in a global downturn, it’s still surprising to find such a degree of confidence in job security," he said. "It could be that CSR practitioners are guilty of looking at their profession through rose-tinted spectacles. But more likely the figures reflect their feeling that the corporate responsibility brief is now part and parcel of corporate life."

However, the survey also revealed that while CSR departments can have responsibility for equality issues, they appear to be subject to much the gender pay gap as other parts of the business.

The research found that while 62 per cent of respondents were female, women only occupied 49 per cent of director level roles and only a third of jobs with salaries of over £100,000.