Purpose -This paper investigates the relationship between corporate social responsibility practices geared towards stakeholder employees and the competitiveness and productivity of Brazilian banks.Design/methodology/approach -We carried out two association statistical analyses between the proxies of competitiveness and the variables that indicated of internal social responsibility: the JonckheereTerpstra test and regression analysis with Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) modeling. The sample is made up of 21 banks listed in BM&FBovespa over the 2010-2014 period.Findings -The survey shows that corporate social responsibility practices geared towards employees impact the financial performance of banks. Employees' salaries positively affected financial performance, and the latter was negatively affected by the rate of outsourcing, both explained by greater employee productivity. Employee turnover and female participation in management and governance bodies are directly related to competitiveness indicators, in a negative and positive way, respectively, with no regard to employee productivity.Originality/value -Banks that offer better CSR practices to their employees present greater financial gains and increased employee productivity. There are specific items that have the potential to lead to a competitive status, adding value to businesses and employees. This research argues that managers should identify the CSR practices that add value to their companies and the benefits derived from value allocation to employees.