Introducing Social Responsibility in Local Government Bodies and the Golden Thread Project

Abstract

The concept of social responsibility in connection with the field of human resource management affects both economic and social relations and also the ways the problems that arise in local and broader communities are addressed. Socially responsible behaviour, which is also promoted by the European Union, can bring a competitive advantage to organisations in various branches of economy, while in the public sector it ensures effective and high-quality services for citizens, and, consequently, a reduction of costs for the state. The article presents the Golden Thread project (“Zlata nit” – a media-supported nationwide research project designed to find Slovenia‘s best employers). The project, or rather the model developed, focuses on the quality of the relationship between organisation and employees. The model follows the guidelines of modern approaches in the field of employment and human resource management and can be applied both to business organisations and to the non-business sphere. Since the project is both a research project and a media campaign, one of its aims is the promotion of those organisations that are identified as an example of a good (or best) employer in Slovenia from the point of view of human resource management and social responsibility. The article also considers the possibility of transferring the project to the public administration and, in particular, to the field of local government.