Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and employee engagement are two of the most discussed issues in the business world today.
Evidence from surveys, management consulting, journalistic and corporate sources show that CSR is an emerging and increasingly important driver of employee engagement.
The level of employee engagement is critical to the success of corporate sustainability and CSR efforts. Employees bridge the gap between the company’s sustainability/ CSR goals and the realization of those goals. It is the personal day-to-day commitment, decisions and actions of employees that direct the intelligence and resources of the largest companies in the world for the good of our planet.
Business pundits and scholars point to growing evidence between CSR and employee engagement. One of those studies, out of IBM Global Services, found 44 percent of young professionals wouldn’t consider an employer with a bad reputation and nearly half said corporate social responsibility policies should be compulsory.
Increasing employee engagement in your CSR initiatives comes with some long-term benefits, such as attracting top talent, helping employees to find more meaning in their employment at your organization, and establishing your company as an active participant in the community.
According to a Harvard Business School blog post, 90% of employees who work for organizations with a strong and meaningful purpose (which is often reflected in CSR efforts) say they’re more motivated, inspired, and loyal.
Engaging employees in sustainability galvanizes them. It gives them a sense of belonging, drive, passion and purpose. It unleashes their potential to make a difference. It inspires them to do something more that they can associate themselves with and feel good about. If done well, it will even resonate into their personal lives and impact their decisions so that they make better choices that serve them, their families, communities and the environment.
Sources:
A Study Of The Connection Between Csr And Employee Engagement Of Selected Large-Scale Establishments / Dr. Shweta Bapat – 2022
Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Engagement: Making the Connection / Bill Holland – 2011
Harvard Business School – 2022