A working culture that encourages skills development and growth beyond the workplace is how you motivate employees to be better and contribute to an overall purpose-filled environment. Giving back shows potential customers, employees and competitors that your brand is connecting with communities and making a difference. Success is not only determined by your bottom line but also by your legacy.
Here are some of the key reasons why companies should help those around them.
It boosts employee morale
There’s no doubt that when you help others you feel good about yourself. The same goes for your team. If you want to build strong employee connections, encourage them to participate in charitable or volunteering events together. Why? Because when you give people the opportunity to help others, they become better themselves and proud of the company they work for. When employees feel disconnected to their job, they will naturally invest less of their time at work, which is detrimental to a company’s success.
When passion exceeds basic employee engagement, you’re giving employees a voice and the chance to make a difference on a much bigger scale than what they could potentially do on their own.
It helps to build teamwork
Giving back is a beautiful thing that connects people together in a vulnerable way. When you allow your team to volunteer, you’re creating stronger bonds between employees. Many companies tend to structure their team-building events around volunteering, and when done right, the outcome is truly remarkable.
For large companies with many different departments, volunteering is a great way to bring people together and bridge the gap between departments. It’ll also help for future project collaboration.
It helps to build connections within communities
Giving back has a ripple effect: when businesses help their communities, their communities help them. Which ultimately creates long-standing relationships. There are so many different ways that companies could use to go about volunteering, but a good start would be to dedicate your time to one specific cause, like Doctors Without Borders, to ensure that your contribution is used where it’s needed most.
Connecting with communities goes beyond the social benefit. Not only will industry leaders and regular customers speak positively about your brand and support your company. But in terms of business networking and industry status, your brand will build a reputation of being empathetic.
Customers and employees are attracted to companies that give back
Whether you choose to believe it or not, Millennials are one of the most sought-after target groups that have the power to change brands and persuade audiences. And because they are so driven to change the world and give back, winning them over through the act of giving is what companies need most. Knowing this, business leaders should strive to do a better job of informing employees on how helping others can have a positive impact on themselves, and a positive return on investment for the company.
Find a volunteer programme that suits your company
If you’re not willing to give back financially, then the best way your staff can contribute is to volunteer their time and knowledge. Small or big, the point is to show employees that no matter the extent of your help, businesses and individuals can show support in the smallest of ways. All it takes is one leader that is willing to make a difference, to encourage other employees to volunteer too.
For some companies, they put aside a specific amount of time for volunteer work. This gives employees an opportunity to find organisations or charities that suit them best. Once chosen, what you need to remember is that when you decide to give back, you actually need to go and do it. Not just talk about it.
Let your employees take time off for reasons to assist their community where they need to.
The most important part is to have fun
Giving back gives you the feels. It helps employees to generate new skills, engage with their communities and succeed by means of helping. But, the most important thing to remember when looking to give back is that it’s a fun, interactive activity. Companies that volunteer or donate to different organisations rarely have regrets about it, and usually, once they start they tend to commit to bigger projects down the line.
It’s always fun getting your team together for a charity walk, helping out at a local event, or pooling together some food, toys or clothing for a community drive. Giving things to people in need always helps you to feel better about yourself and your contribution in life. At the end of the day, enjoying work is one thing, but giving back and thriving in the environment that you’re in means that you’re contributing to much more than your daily role. Employees that like work more is definitely good for business.
