Enrich the lives of your employees with socially responsible efforts

If your business is participating in socially responsible programs but your employees aren’t in the loop, you’re overlooking your biggest supporters.

According to a couple of recent surveys, many employers are missing the boat when it comes to ensuring the effectiveness of their social efforts simply by not communicating with employees. A recent Capstrat-Public Policy Polling Survey revealed that, while 24% of employees said their company has made sustainability a top priority in business decisions, only 17% said their employees often communicated their efforts to employees. And 46% said their employers rarely talked about sustainability at all.

Another recent survey, the 2009 Corporate Citizenship Study, found that more than half of employees responding believe that working for a socially responsible company makes a difference. In fact, even in today’s economy, 40% are willing to take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible company. Still, over 70% are not aware of any socially responsible practices their own employer is taking.

Start involving employees in your corporate responsibility programs for these reasons:

• Employees are proud that their company is socially responsible and find added value in their workday beyond their regular duties. That translates to greater job satisfaction and employee retention.
• It encourages employees from different departments to work together toward a common goal and often allows new leaders to step forward.
• They’re likely to tell others about your company’s efforts, taking on the role of corporate brand ambassadors.
• It’s a great recruitment tool. By listing corporate efforts on the career page of your Web site, you’ll draw more interest and have a larger pool of applicants from which to choose.

– LuAnne Speeter