FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2023
CONTACT: Jeanne Metzger | Vice President of Communications
Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals
jeanne@accp.org | 202-796-5881
New Survey: 50 Percent of Corporate Social Impact Professionals Report Burnout While 1 in 5 Indicate “Mental Health Concerns” Caused by Increasing Demands of the Job
Survey Finds Too Few Resources, Coupled with Increased Political Polarization of ESG, Impacts the Personal Wellness of the Professionals Staffing the Corporate Function
FAIRFAX, VA – A new survey released by the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), the nation’s leading advocate for corporate social impact professionals, shows too few resources despite the increased demands of the job, coupled with the intense political polarization of diversity initiatives and ESG (environmental, social, and governance), is having a significant, personal impact upon the professionals charged with carrying out the work.
The survey of 149 companies representing more than $1 Billion in community investments, conducted in April 2023, found that 50% of corporate social impact professionals are experiencing burnout and nearly one in five are experiencing “mental health concerns.” Corporate social impact (including CSR and ESG) work at companies has become a professional field facing increasing political polarization with too few resources and people to carry out the demands of the job.
The full survey results and key graphs and data illustrating the findings can be viewed here.
“The survey’s findings show the real-world impact a divisive political environment and dwindling corporate budgets focused on social impact work is having on the professionals in the field charged with carrying out a companies’ CSR and ESG initiatives,” said Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) president and CEO Carolyn Berkowitz. “Company executives should sound the alarm bell over the survey’s findings and understand the implications in a tight labor market. C-suite leaders would be wise to invest their CSR and ESG functions to maximize impact and minimize risk.”
Other key findings from the survey of professionals in the ESG and CSR field, include:
- 86% of respondents cited their teams have an increasing workload.
- 58% stating they needed more resources to effectively meet expectations.
- 61% cited longer hours.
- 50% reported burnout.
- 19% mental health concerns
- 18% low morale
“Corporate social impact professionals in the CSR and ESG fields are being pushed past their limits as the demand for results increase and resources decrease or remain stagnant. Without the financial and human resources needed to support the gains companies have made in the last five years toward diversity, equity and inclusion, progress will quickly lose momentum. Building back stakeholder trust is far more expensive than not losing it in the first place.” concluded Berkowitz.
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The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) is the preeminent membership organization advancing the practice of corporate social impact. ACCP increases the effectiveness of CSR & ESG professionals and their companies by sharing knowledge, fostering solutions, and cultivating inclusive and supportive peer communities. ACCP amplifies the voices of its practitioner network to elevate strategies that work, provide innovative solutions, and expand impact.
