Integrating Aquatic Plants into Water Features
Amy Snyder
Finding the right employees can be a challenge for any employer. Today, employees are looking for more than just health insurance, a good salary and a 401(k) program. So what is that something extra that might attract a prospective employee to your organization or keep them there for the long haul? Well the answer may lie in something most companies are already doing: giving back to the community.
The concept of social responsibility certainly isn't new. Most organizations have figured out that giving to community causes is a good way to develop a positive reputation, reinforce relationships with customers and community members, and create vibrant and healthy business environments. But what does it have to do with attracting and keeping employees? One of the biggest factors affecting employee happiness is knowing that they work for a company that shares their values.
A company with a philanthropic culture provides the type of shared value system that keeps employees productive, enthusiastic and loyal. Here are a few ways giving can have a positive effect on your recruiting and retention efforts.
Builds company pride.
Donating money to a cause can have a positive effect. But involving employees in an event or a cause that enables them to work side-by-side with other team members, managers and even those who are the recipients of the help, provides a unique opportunity for team building. It can help remind team members how their special skills and elbow grease, as well as the collective help of the team, can have a direct benefit for others who are in need. When employees make the connection that the effort they put toward keeping customers happy, hitting budgets and making profits are tied to the dollars that a company is able to give back to the community, it can help generate a real feeling of purpose in their day-to-day efforts.
Whether those projects involve cleaning up a park, renovating a school playground or serving at a soup kitchen, it allows employees to experience firsthand the feeling of goodwill that comes with giving back and creates pride in what they have been able to achieve through their organization. In turn, an organization should operate as a good steward of the charitable funds, recognizing that the giving is made possible through the hard work of the company's employees and therefore should largely be directed by the employees.
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