We’re all aware of how easily one person having a bad day can make the whole office feel strained. A good CSR strategy increases job satisfaction, and happy people are more productive.
One of the big benefits of employee volunteering is that we can see the positive changes our actions are bringing. In our normal working day this often gets overlooked, especially when we’re not trusted to make even the most basic decisions without management approval. A good CSR program inspires pride of ownership.
Most people don’t particularly like being told what to do, even when we’re being told to do things we know we should do. A good CSR strategy, especially one that incorporates grassroots, employee driven volunteering, goes beyond codes and guidelines and allows employees to give of their time and skills freely.
The modern workforce is becoming increasingly more skilled in an exceptionally wide range of areas, and employee volunteering is a great way to apply some of those skills in ways that our jobs wouldn’t normally allow for.
What with all this talent showcasing and mixing with our bosses, we get the chance to hone our skills and this lays the foundation for advancement in a practical way. CSR and employee volunteering breaks down barriers between departments and in many ways helps employees in defining career goals.
A survey taken a few years ago found that over 90% of employees leave their job because of issues with their "job, manager, culture or work environment”. CSR gives employees the opportunity to drive change in company culture and work environment in a constructive and socially aware way.
One of the major contributors to turnover is employees who get burned out by overwork. Employee volunteering not only acts as a pressure release valve, it also helps restore some perspective and keeps us productive.
Greedy, isolated, unconcerned about workers; that's how many employees see those at the top. This isn’t always the case of course, but if there is no evidence to the contrary then its a myth won’t go away quickly. CSR strategies that incorporate employee volunteering at every level of the business go a long way to breaking this misconception down.CSR
That survey I mentioned mentioned earlier not only showed that most employees leave because of issues with culture and work environment, but also found that over 90% of management erroneously perceive the reason we make decisions about staying or leaving employment to be based entirely on money; Getting involved in employee volunteering projects helps break that perception and helps us feel less like we’re just renting ourselves out.
The reasons we keep a job are not necessarily the opposite of why we leave. Employees may stay at a job they dislike because they are linked with others; we feel a sense of belonging to a group that depends on us and we'd have to sacrifice things that are important to us should we move. A good CSR strategy adds to this feeling in a way that other factors like a corner office just can’t.
Tagged in <a href="/blog/tagged-with/CSR">CSR</a>, <a href="/blog/tagged-with/employee%20volunteering">employee volunteering</a>
