Many companies have embraced CSR and made it part of their PR strategy because it helps get exposure and build a good reputation in the market and among the media and potential customers. However, one important effect CSR can have on businesses is only starting to get traction: how good CSR can improve employee morale.
If you are deliberately practicing CSR or are looking to start, consider the following three points to make sure your business and team benefit fully from the opportunities of well-done CSR.
Align Goals and Values
First things first. Determine what shape CSR should take for your business. Your industry and the size of your company will have a big influence on that. To get ideas, look at your mission statement and values. What kind of campaign would be aligned with them?
When you have your first ideas, it’s time to bring in your staff. Ask them what’s important to them. Find out which causes they support outside of work. Get input on your ideas and prompt them to make suggestions.
Including your team from the very beginning will increase their sense of involvement and ownership, making them feel more committed and supportive. Also, get ready to be wowed. Your staff might come up with creative and innovative ideas you would never have dreamed of, so getting their input can make a big difference to the success you’ll with CSR.
Create a Sense of Purpose and Identity
It’s not a secret that employers need to give good staff a reason to stay with the company. That’s why many corporations offer benefits such as health insurance, pension plans, extra paid leave or on-site facilities such as cozy lounges or even gyms. Today, many employees look for more than that though. They want to feel like they are part of something bigger, like they are making a valuable contribution.
Strong CSR can provide that. By starting a campaign that involves people from every department and level of the company, you create the opportunity for people to make an impact and bring about positive change in a way that’s meaning furl to them. Regular activities as part of your CSR initiative also offer valuable team building experiences paired with the goal of achieving something worthwhile together. That fosters a sense of community and can help make employees feel proud of the workplace.
Practice Internal CSR
When thinking of CSR, it’s easy to focus only on the outside, like environmental campaigns you participated in or local charities you supported. But CSR is also about how you treat your team and what kind of opportunities for growth they have in your business. It includes things like encouraging personal and professional development, offering regular training to teach new skills and creating a comfortable and stimulating work atmosphere.
Recent studies have shown that once employees start feeling stuck at the job, their performance goes down and they are more likely to look for a new challenge elsewhere. Ensuring members of your team are constantly pushed to better themselves both as people and professionals, will help them move forward and feel fulfilled in your establishment.
This brings two great benefits: staff are happier, more motivated, and perform better at work, and they are less likely to take their talent elsewhere. That, in turn, makes for a better work environment, lower employee turnover and boosted bottom line.
Want to set up a CSR campaign but are not sure where to start? The team at Midas PR can help you outline an approach that reflects your company’s values, engages your staff and will get traction with the media. To get started as soon as possible, get in touch with us by e-mail or have a look around our website at www.midas-pr.com today.