For some companies, integrating social responsibility into their mission is just business as usual.
Tom’s founder Blake Mycoskie built his successful company on a principle of philanthropy. For every pair of shoes sold, Tom’s donates a pair of shoes to a needy child.
Although Tom’s is a for-profit company and not a charity, their commitment to helping the less fortunate is an example of a business trend that is getting ever more popular: corporate social responsibility.
This month’s Human Resource Executive magazine features an article by Will Bunch called “Doing the Right Thing.” In this article, Bunch discusses the growing practice of businesses making socially conscious commitments.
Dubbed “corporate social responsibility,” it’s the latest HR trend being used to enhance employer branding and boost employee engagement. And it’s working because employees are no longer motivated just by money and benefits.
“Increasingly, HR leaders are playing a key part in designing and promoting philanthropic programs that engage or attract young talent,” writes Bunch, “while using social responsibility as a tool for developing leaders, managing existing talent and recruiting promising new workers form the millennial generation.”
Bunch mentions some of the causes of this employee-focused, social-responsibility movement:
When you combine all of these things together, you get employees who have different expectations than the previous generation. They want to make a difference; they want to feel that their job has a purpose beyond making their boss money; they want to connect to causes greater than just generating profit for shareholders.
Employees' expectations about work have changed, and companies are rising to meet these expectations. They have to because one of the biggest HR challenges over the next decade is figuring out how to retain and reward top talent.
Business News Daily reports that today’s workforce is all about working for employers that are focused on three factors: people, planet, and revenue. Companies that demonstrate a social consciousness and a sincere commitment to “giving back” are likely to have better employee engagement and brand recognition.
(Source: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4679-corporate-social-responsibility.html)
And corporate philanthropy engages more than just employees. As consumers become increasingly more aware of global issues and human needs, the more they are attracted to do business with companies making a social difference in their community and/or around the world.
Writes Bunch, “there’s no better device for boosting employee morale and keeping workers productive than a sense that their company is making the world a better place.”
More money and weekly pizza parties are no longer enough to motivate a socially-conscious workforce. It’s time to take our employee engagement ideas to the next level.
Do you work for a business that demonstrates “corporate social responsibility?” What programs do they have that help you feel good about working for them? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
