By Alessandra Colia of the Urban Alliance
The basic theory is indisputable: the happier your employees are at work, the more engaged/productive/efficient/effective they are and your company is. The cost of turnover is enormous, and engaged employees are as good as gold. So you think you know what your employees want right? Higher pay. More vacation days. Shorter commutes. Longer lunches. Telework flexibility. Glamorous perks.
Ask any employee for their wish-list and while those items may be on there, often they also want something bigger: to feel workplace pride, to connect with others, to have a bigger sense of purpose, and to have a fair say. As a company leader, how do you achieve all of these elements and engage your employees? How can you ensure that employees are happy at work without it costing the company?
Consider your company’s corporate community giving. 61% of all candidates take a company’s charity initiatives into consideration when evaluating a company and 83% of all employees prefer companies that focus on corporate giving (Adecco, USA). That is quite a high percentage of people taking notice of how your company is involved in the community! How often does your company give back to local non-profits? How often do you give employees the opportunity to participate in activities where they can interact with those in-need? Read below for some tips on what your employees really want and how a robust corporate community giving program can help:
1. Employees want to feel proud. Employees like to boast about the great things their organization is accomplishing, as well as be associated with a place that does good work in the community. If their company is giving back in an impactful way, employees are more likely to be happy to work for their company. Beyond current employees developing pride, you will attract future employees who care about a giving corporate culture. Determine ways to engage the community that will make your employees proud to stand behind your company name!
2. Employees want to build social connections. To improve employee satisfaction, give them the opportunity to give back to the community and bond around a cause. Employees want to feel connected to their co-workers, and working together for those in-need is a great way to accomplish that. Beyond feeling connected to each other, staff will feel connected to community members at large. View giving back to the community as a chance to strengthen your own corporate community!
3. Employees want to have an enriched sense of purpose. Deriving a greater sense of purpose from work leads to higher employee satisfaction and can unleash productivity. When employees have perspective on the greater community, they can realize how they fit into it, and how their company’s altruism contributes. Purposeful partnerships with non-profits have the power to connect your mission with community service. Root your corporate culture in social responsibility to enrich your employees’ sense of purpose!
4. Employees want to have a fair say. By giving your employees the platform to promote their causes, it will make it more difficult for them to leave since they are engaged on a personal social responsibility level. Employees will feel they have a voice in your company if you give them the opportunity to share where their passions lie. You may be surprised when you hear what’s important to your employees outside of work connects to what your company is doing. Take the time to hear what causes your employees believe in to see if there is alignment with your company!
The benefits of corporate giving from the Human Resources perspective are numerous. Besides the proven benefit of employee retention, your company is more likely to attract new employees if your business has clear corporate social responsibility. Your current staff who participate in volunteering and pro-bono work not only gain significant job-relevant skills, but also have a higher level of engagement.
Not only is service to the community good for those in-need, but it is good for engaging employees and therefore, good for your bottom line. Think broadly; corporate social responsibility is more than just charity.Where are the critical junctions between your corporate values, employee passions, the communities in which you do business, and the financial success of your business? Seek meaningful partnerships with non-profit organizations. Improve your business. Invest in Arlington.
Sources
http://www.adeccousa.com/Employers/resource-center/Pages/corporate-giving-infographic.aspx
http://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2013/05/18/why-csr-the-benefits-of-corporate-social-responsibility-will-move-you-to-act/
http://www.inc.com/guides/201105/7-ways-to-improve-employee-satisfaction.html
http://www.hrmasia.com/forum/corporate-social-responsibility-the-secret-to-employee-retention/186144/
The basic theory is indisputable: the happier your employees are at work, the more engaged/productive/efficient/effective they are and your company is. The cost of turnover is enormous, and engaged employees are as good as gold. So you think you know what your employees want right? Higher pay. More vacation days. Shorter commutes. Longer lunches. Telework flexibility. Glamorous perks.
Ask any employee for their wish-list and while those items may be on there, often they also want something bigger: to feel workplace pride, to connect with others, to have a bigger sense of purpose, and to have a fair say. As a company leader, how do you achieve all of these elements and engage your employees? How can you ensure that employees are happy at work without it costing the company?
Consider your company’s corporate community giving. 61% of all candidates take a company’s charity initiatives into consideration when evaluating a company and 83% of all employees prefer companies that focus on corporate giving (Adecco, USA). That is quite a high percentage of people taking notice of how your company is involved in the community! How often does your company give back to local non-profits? How often do you give employees the opportunity to participate in activities where they can interact with those in-need? Read below for some tips on what your employees really want and how a robust corporate community giving program can help:
1. Employees want to feel proud. Employees like to boast about the great things their organization is accomplishing, as well as be associated with a place that does good work in the community. If their company is giving back in an impactful way, employees are more likely to be happy to work for their company. Beyond current employees developing pride, you will attract future employees who care about a giving corporate culture. Determine ways to engage the community that will make your employees proud to stand behind your company name!
2. Employees want to build social connections. To improve employee satisfaction, give them the opportunity to give back to the community and bond around a cause. Employees want to feel connected to their co-workers, and working together for those in-need is a great way to accomplish that. Beyond feeling connected to each other, staff will feel connected to community members at large. View giving back to the community as a chance to strengthen your own corporate community!
3. Employees want to have an enriched sense of purpose. Deriving a greater sense of purpose from work leads to higher employee satisfaction and can unleash productivity. When employees have perspective on the greater community, they can realize how they fit into it, and how their company’s altruism contributes. Purposeful partnerships with non-profits have the power to connect your mission with community service. Root your corporate culture in social responsibility to enrich your employees’ sense of purpose!
4. Employees want to have a fair say. By giving your employees the platform to promote their causes, it will make it more difficult for them to leave since they are engaged on a personal social responsibility level. Employees will feel they have a voice in your company if you give them the opportunity to share where their passions lie. You may be surprised when you hear what’s important to your employees outside of work connects to what your company is doing. Take the time to hear what causes your employees believe in to see if there is alignment with your company!
The benefits of corporate giving from the Human Resources perspective are numerous. Besides the proven benefit of employee retention, your company is more likely to attract new employees if your business has clear corporate social responsibility. Your current staff who participate in volunteering and pro-bono work not only gain significant job-relevant skills, but also have a higher level of engagement.
Not only is service to the community good for those in-need, but it is good for engaging employees and therefore, good for your bottom line. Think broadly; corporate social responsibility is more than just charity.Where are the critical junctions between your corporate values, employee passions, the communities in which you do business, and the financial success of your business? Seek meaningful partnerships with non-profit organizations. Improve your business. Invest in Arlington.
Sources
http://www.adeccousa.com/Employers/resource-center/Pages/corporate-giving-infographic.aspx
http://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2013/05/18/why-csr-the-benefits-of-corporate-social-responsibility-will-move-you-to-act/
http://www.inc.com/guides/201105/7-ways-to-improve-employee-satisfaction.html
http://www.hrmasia.com/forum/corporate-social-responsibility-the-secret-to-employee-retention/186144/
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