A purpose in business is a growing trend that is actually shifting our way of thinking about employee engagement. Organizations are aligning their employee engagement accordingly and thereby internal communications policies are now more articulative in communicating, instilling and reinforcing their fundamental sense of purpose.
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The world today is a study of contrast. On one side we have a billion odd people struggling with health problems like obesity, on the other billion are going to bed hungry every night. What is worthy to note, however, in such a scenario is that the omnipresence of communications channels has ensured that more people than ever are aware of this painful reality. And that a lot of us are keen to do something for the ones who don’t have it all.
Employees are looking for a meaning in their lives and are looking at the workplace as the source of that meaning. From Millennials to Gen Xers to Baby Boomers having a sense of purpose in the workplace is becoming extremely important. They want to make the world a better place and expect their employer to do the same. Companies are now expected to demonstrate how their mission statement and their action are thereby helping create a tangibly better environment for the people and the world at large,
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is therefore not just a Government mandate but is becoming a strong catalyst in helping connect with employees. A purpose in business is a growing trend that is actually shifting our way of thinking about employee engagement. Organizations are aligning their employee engagement accordingly and thereby internal communications policies are now more articulative in communicating, instilling and reinforcing their fundamental sense of purpose. The workforce is looking beyond profit motive. Its lot more about social or environmental stewardship, reputational value.
Corporate social responsibility addresses a number of needs that an employee is seeking to fulfill predominantly through purpose and pride. Employee engagement through CSR is now playing a critical role reflects a similar pattern as of Maslow’s hierarchy, where human beings essentially satisfy a sequence of needs in succession. It starts with foundational needs that are met through the mission of the organization, it’s leadership and management; followed by physical needs met through compensation; safety needs met through enablement and good workspace; caring needs through belonging, communication, teamwork and collaboration; self-esteem through diversity, integrity, ethics, respect, and innovation; culminating with working to potential at the pinnacle.
It’s not the size and thereby the CSR budget of the organization that shapes the purpose, it's more the intent and involvement. The company can take up various steps to make the CSR agenda a more Inclusive one to address employees needs. The foundational level can be addressed by being socially conscious and committed and demonstrating leadership involvement. For physical it’s important for being there for the community and make the program accessible to the staff. Safety and Care come from aligning the employee's interest with that of the organization and foster teamwork towards a cause and finally, the self-esteem can be addressed by nurturing the purpose in one’s life.
Demonstrate leadership involvement
If social initiatives are to succeed, the company leadership must believe it is the right thing to do and that business should do the right thing. Employees always want to follow a sustainable path led by the leader. Progressive organizations use CSR goals to help leaders to lead with purpose and enhance a mission-driven culture. For employees working with the leaders on any social agenda serves as an immense motivator, similarly, team-based community involvement help leaders connect with co-workers at a much more personal level. Where there’s purpose, there’s a sense of meaning and value. When the organization leadership team demonstrate their commitment towards a cause, it generates incredible goodwill for the company. We had a live example at Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) where our Managing Director inspired the team to participate in a 100 km walking challenge for a charity to be completed in 48 hours. He motivated many in the company, quite a few of whom were first time walkers, to complete the challenge with much conviction.
Considering what interest the employees
In 2014, a survey on CSR conducted by rating agency Nielsen found that as many as 67% surveyors desired to work with socially responsible companies. Organization’s CSR goals are best realized when they are aligned with the employees’ ideology too. However, the challenge is one-size-doesn’t fits-all. As it turns out, people feel for reasons that are uniquely personal to them: To eradicate an illness that has affected a loved one, to champion a cause they feel inexplicably drawn to. To understand what really is there in employees’ mind, at D&B, we launched a branch-wide campaign “Manifestation of Dream” where employees were asked to vote for the cause they feel closest to. And based on the result of the campaign, we took up education as the primary focus sector, which also aligns with our objective in driving global prosperity by facilitating business growth, leading to more jobs, high living standards and better quality of life.
Rallying the company around a cause is great, but in order to take a company’s CSR program to the next level, the company supports to the employees’ causes too plays an important part. It’s an effective way to demonstrates that company is taking a vested interest in its employees’ interests. Like at D&B we have friendly policies that allows employees to take two days leave to do charitable work of his/her own choice.
Make it accessible
These days, employees seek out companies that embody socially responsible values and provide an avenue for volunteering. Long working hours, commute time and family responsibilities often make it difficult for people to consistently involve with charitable work. A well-structured, accessible, volunteering program gives employees an opportunity to do something for the society and consequently they feel more appreciative towards the company’s CSR program, and the company itself.
Naturally for staff, an organization which encourages its employees to conduct weekly classes for underprivileged children plays a more important role as compared to another organization that restricts itself to writing a cheque to an NGO. At Dun & Bradstreet we always had many takers for programs like mentoring Night School Children, making charts and tables for non-profits run schools, spending quality time with “School on Wheels *” children. Our week-long worldwide “Giving week “Do Good Week” program has always been receiving overwhelming support and participation from employees. When the blood bank came right at our workplace more than 50% of employees raised their hand to donate blood.
Let the communications channel work
Sustainable CSR communications starting from the early stages of the employee onboarding process is very crucial. Messages on how CSR programs create value for the global community while driving long-term value creation for the business is ideal to keep the employee interested. Using social media or internal communications tools that display real-time insights of employee engagement and program success increase engagement because employees witness the positive impact they are making in the world.
At the end of the day, a CSR program should show that an organization cares about the communities it does business in as well as the world at large. There are countless instances which prove when you are in it for a purpose you will find your path to success.