Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is quickly becoming a vital aspect of any business in our current social climate. However, increasing (and managing) it is no easy task. There are hundreds of avenues an organization can take, and even more things that can be implemented into your business. With this aspect of business becoming so prominent, there has obviously been much trial and error.

Thankfully, Wespire publishes their annual State of Employee Engagement Report. Surprisingly, we see this report detailing that there is an incredibly strong correlation between CSR and Employee Engagement, especially in the times of the COVID 19 pandemic (see right column). While this may seem like new information, the premise has not changed, and employees are still striving to obtain the wants and needs that have always been true.

Employee Engagement in a Nutshell

Forbes Magazine defines Employee Engagement as; “The emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.”

Other definitions include; “Employee engagement refers to the efforts by an organization to fully involve its employees in the programs, practices and operations of the organization, including charitable and sustainability activities. The goal is that employees will take positive steps to further the organization’s interests or reputation, while creating a culture that encourages new hires and employee retention.”

Regardless of your preferred definition, it is clear that employee engagement has a strong overlap with CSR. The more opportunities you put into place for CSR, the higher employee engagement will be. Remember that employees want to feel like they’re appreciated and have a purpose in your organization. When you have various CSR strategies implemented into your business, this gives your employees that sense of purpose, and makes them feel like they are doing good. While this is a good look on their character, it is also a good look on the organization facilitating it.

Quantifiable Engagement

Again, with CSR and Employee Engagement becoming more prevalent in our society, there has been much research done on the topics, and their impact can be measured. For example;

Gallup conducted a worldwide study in 2016 measuring employee engagement that found:

• 87% of employees worldwide are NOT engaged

• Companies who DO have highly engaged employees outperform their peers by 147% in earnings per share!

Furthermore, in 2016 Cone Communications conducted their own study on employee engagement and found:

• 93% of respondents want to work for a company that cares about them as an individual.

• 51% won’t work for a company that does not have strong social and/or environmental commitments.

• 75% say their job is more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact at work.

And lastly, we take a look at Wespire’s 2021 Employee Engagement report that finds:

• Workers who knew they were pursuing social purpose were 24% faster and had 43% less downtime than those who didn’t, and there was no loss of quality.

• 57 of all employees in 2021 are actively looking or open to new opportunities VS 14 of employees in 2021 who believe they are making a positive impact in the world through the work they do are actively looking or open to new opportunities

• 12 of all employees who believe their company is making a positive impact are actively looking

• 7% of all employees who strongly believe their company is making a positive impact are actively looking

• 20 Employees motivation to participate in engagement programs has increased by 20% since the start of the COVID pandemic.

Keep in mind that these statistics are only just scratching the surface of such a strong correlation. However, from these findings we can conclude that the vast majority of employees are not engaged with their work, yet, they want to be. Furthermore, there is no questioning that when employees are engaged at their workplace, they are happier, more willing to recommend their company, and are more willing to stay loyal to their current employer. It all boils down to this; employees want to be employed by companies who provide them with internal value, care, and opportunities to be engaged outside of the workplace.

4 Steps to a Successful & Thriving Workplace

As we wrap up, we must take a look at the key takeaways that Wespire has given us from their research. There are four key takeaways that we can begin planning around and implementing into our workplace today.

1. Purpose is Paramount - Engagement and purpose at work are still critical to a successful and resilient workforce. Likewise, positive social impact of the employee and organization is key. For employees that strongly believe their company is making a positive impact, 93% are likely to stay in their current role.

2. Invest in Prosocial Incentives - Interest in prosocial incentives continues to grow across all facets of the workforce and all age groups, indicating a universal shift towards rewards imbued with meaning, purpose, and intention.

3. Email Drives Awareness - In an age of remote work and new ways of connecting, email continues to be a key driver of awareness about employee engagement programs, with nearly 6 in 10 employees reporting this as their preferred way to learn about their company’s efforts.

4. Right People, Clear Strategy - If companies want to get serious about improving employee engagement, it’s time to put the right people and a clear strategy in place. Failure to assign strong leadership or to assimilate a culture shift throughout the organization means that the most important issues to your workforce—from perceptions of impact, to opportunities to address social isolation—stall and disengagement spreads. Establishing a clear owner for employee experience, forming a team-based approach to programs and incentives, and breaking down silos will help to focus engagement efforts and, ultimately, improve the bottom line.

By now, it should be no secret that employee engagement is your organizations ticket to increased CSR.