Get Employees Engaged, Not Just Involved, in Corporate Social Responsibility
By Emily Strother
As the year draws to a close, many companies—such as Merck, Xerox, and JCPenney—are publishing their corporate social responsibility reports for 2017, highlighting the CSR activities they have undertaken this year and how they relate to the organization’s overall goals. In judging the impact of a CSR initiative, companies should consider not only how these efforts impact their community, improve organizational sustainability, and advance diversity and inclusion, but also what they mean to employees and customers.
When it comes to employees, candidates today are particularly interested in working for companies that demonstrate a strong commitment to social responsibility, so CSR investments can have a direct benefit in terms of attracting talent. The most innovative companies, however, are designing CSR initiatives that fulfill employees’ demand for volunteer opportunities while also drawing on their professional skills and interests to make that volunteer work more engaging and potentially valuable.
Companies commonly offer opportunities for employees to engage in simple volunteer tasks such as packing boxes of aid for needy households, serving food at a soup kitchen, or cleaning up a public park. These are all valuable acts of community service, but the companies that are having the most success getting employees involved in CSR initiatives are offering them more dynamic and engaging ways to give back.
Here are some of those companies and their methods:
Deloitte partners with nonprofits on projects to provide pro bono consulting or advice, allowing employees to use their professional skills and knowledge to help these organizations have a stronger impact.
Dell uses their Youth Learning program to give underserved youth around the world better access to technology opportunities, including through employees volunteering with nonprofit partners.
Time Warner sponsors employees who participate in public fundraising events such as the Bronx Zoo’s Run for the Wild, and gives out an annual award honoring employees who have made exceptional contributions to public service.
IBM‘s On Demand Community web portal enables both employees and retirees to find volunteer opportunities that suit their interests, passions, and skills. The platform has so far enabled over 140,000 volunteers to perform more than 9 million hours of community service, the company says.
Wells Fargo has “grassroots community involvement networks” specifically for service, which encourage employee-led volunteer initiatives such as building houses, teaching financial education, and improving children’s literacy.
ExxonMobil hosts “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” programs at company sites, an initiative aimed at getting girls interested in STEM careers and improving gender diversity in these fields. The company also gives employees opportunities to work with science teachers and with children in the classroom.
Among these examples, three best practices stand out:
First, companies are aligning CSR efforts to their business objectives and employee skills, such as Deloitte’s pro bono opportunities or ExxonMobil leveraging its employees’ knowledge to further education and diversity in STEM.
Second, rather than having employees pick from a predetermined list of activities, companies are enabling employees to decide where and how to volunteer, or even to organize and lead efforts of their own, as in Wells Fargo’s employee groups or IBM’s online platform.
Third, we see companies rewarding employees who participate in service efforts, both through recognition programs and through paid time off for volunteer service. This communicates to employees that corporate social responsibility is an important business value and vital to the success of the organization.
Ultimately, CSR provides organizations with an opportunity not only to give back to the community, but also to engage employees in innovative and meaningful ways. The best news of all is that the benefit flows in both directions: By fostering a culture that encourages and celebrates social responsibility, companies can both engage their employees more effectively in CSR and maximize the “force for good” of their philanthropy and community service efforts this holiday season. Truly a win-win situation.
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Proposal Management, Marketing Communications
6 年The brand message a company’s leadership communicates to the employees is as important as the brand they share with the world. Engaged employees who are offered a chance (and acknowledgement) to volunteer are more likely to feel that they are important and that what they contribute matters. Companies that are community partners benefit from reputation enhancement too! Win win.