Inaugurate social responsibility, engage employees

Nancy Colt

NOTE: President-elect (until tomorrow) Obama's usaservice.org effort is just getting started. It already stimulates thinking about how organizations can combine service and engagement, using each to trigger the other.

I've contacted Nancy Colt, a consultant who works with companies to maximize their Social Responsibility Strategies. Nancy was happy to answer a few questions.

TW:  What is the importance of social responsibility to a company and to its employees?

NC:  Being socially responsible is a cost-effective way of investing in the community and ensuring corporate sustainability.  When done well, social responsibility programs engage employees, promote teamwork, increase productivity, build morale, and help recruit and retain talent. 

TW:   My research says employee engagement increases customer attraction and customer loyalty. Is that true of social responsibility efforts also?

NC:  Recent studies show 69% of 13 to 25 year olds consider a company's social and environmental commitment when deciding where to shop. This same group places a company’s social responsibility record high on their priority list when determining where they want to work.

TW:  How would you define employee social responsibility?

NC:  That’s when  an employee can leverage the power of numbers and economies of scale in making a difference in the community. Given the overwhelming amount of worthy issues and good causes, it can be tough for an individual to decide where to contribute. That can become a barrier to involvement.  An organization that has a social responsibility strategy removes obstacles to participation such as not knowing what to do, when to do it, who to donate to or how to get involved. From the framework of a company, employees can actually do good instead of figuring out what to do.

TW:  What can a business do to have its employees engage in efforts toward social responsibility?

NC:  First, the company needs to find out what issues are important to employees and customers. Second, they should devise a strategy and select partner organizations aligned with those values. Third, management embraces and demonstrates commitment to the strategy and its execution. The program must be perceived as a priority from the top. Throughout, the program must be well organized and productive. There’s nothing worse than showing up to a volunteer project and having nothing to do.
 
TW:  Any thoughts on how to implement an ongoing plan or strategy...rather than a one-shot effort that has to be reignited over and over?

NC:  In a nutshell: engagement, feedback, celebration, and expenses.

Engagement is key.  Employees need a stake in developing the strategy and seeing it through to success. Participation generates a spirit of citizenship and motivates others to get involved.Feedback is also important.  How did the volunteers feel about the selected organization?  Did they like the projects they worked on?  Did the efforts have the desired impact on the community or organization?  Once the feedback is analyzed, adjustments to the strategy need to be made.  Celebrating a job well done contributes to the program’s longevity.

Allow for nominal expenses.  Programs can be inexpensive, but allocating a small budget for supplies, logistics, and other miscellaneous expenses is important to the success of any project.

TW: Sounds like you've been engaged in this kind of strategy.

NC:  At Macy’s, the success of our Annual Give Back Day was a direct result of understanding the causes that were important to our employees and the ways in which they wanted to contribute.  In its first year, volunteer hours skyrocketed by 233%, and monetary contributions were up 29%.  We kept the momentum going by understanding what worked and what didn’t, and in its second year, overall participation was up again by 22%.  This event has become an annual tradition that everyone looks forward to and has literally taken on a life of its own.

TW:  What else will you share with us?

NC:  When planning a volunteer event, managers can consider changing the usual dynamic of their groups.  It is an exciting opportunity for a junior member of the team to demonstrate leadership skills by taking a more primary role in  the management of a project. This gives senior members a chance to show their more personal side and connect in a new way with the rest of the team…what a great way to not only contribute to the community but also to engage!