Corporate volunteering is trending. You briefly know what it is, or maybe you've already set up a corporate giving program within your company. Many studies have shown how useful and impactful it is for employee engagement. But with the new talents getting their diploma and being now ready to work, you're probably wondering if your volunteering activities will also get to them and interest them?
Things have changed, and even if generational topics are always difficult to discuss, one has to admit it: Millenials desire to get involved and get their voices heard.
Just like customers have changed perspectives and are now offered a lot more tools to know exactly what they want from their favorite brand, Millenials also know what they want from the company their work for. They're not just there to kill time and earn money at the end of the month; they're not just there to build a 30-year long career. Next to their job, most of them are already involved in volunteering activities. A study focused on this factor and discovered that more than one-third of Millenials volunteer 11 hours or more a year.
So you might wonder why putting a volunteering program in your company if they are already involved in their private life, right? Here's why.
Make them get involved; they'll stay longer.
Employee turnover is a nightmare. It takes time, costs money, and weighs on colleagues' motivation. Many researchers focused their studies on Millenials and how they act towards work: they're not afraid of job-hopping, expect more human treatment from their management, and long for flexibility. They long for job satisfaction, which means finding the values dear to them in their daily work. From a survey led by The Millenial Impact Report, we learned that 55% of respondents think that an employer's action in social causes was essential in accepting a job offer.
So obviously, attracting them by showing the social activities and the good causes opportunities you offer next to the usual elements of a paycheck and annual holidays is an exciting strategy. The Millennial Impact Report showed that millennials strongly believe that they can make the world a better place and leave a better mark than the previous generation. By getting involved with your new talents, they'll feel this sense of belonging and involvement that is their main characteristic. And as they'll feel close to you, they'll feel involved in their company and not willing to leave any time soon. It's a win-win situation: they get to work and pursue their social objectives, and you'll get to keep your remarkable, motivated talents and CSR activities increasing.
The world needs more than passive employees.
You see it everywhere. The news tells you about what is going on globally, from climate change and catastrophes, social injustices and societal issues. You're not helpless, though. You can do more, and you have your teams, people, and colleagues with whom to do more.
It goes beyond feeling better about yourself, and you know it. Some topics - like climate change, to cite the most recent one - have shown that we've reached a limit, a tipping point when it comes to terrible situations. The truth is, there is still hope as you can do something about it. Find your missions, underline the values that fit your company and its people and go for it: you have nothing to lose, not even the hours you'll invest in them. All in all, the ROI is worth it. Employee satisfaction, motivation, productivity, and feel heard and appreciated are the most common results of corporate volunteering activities. During covid19, loneliness has decreased, and employee well-being has improved in companies where volunteering activities were set up and offered to colleagues, even in remote, yes. Because in a digital era, nothing is impossible (but we'll come back to that).
The scope of volunteer activities is broad.
As said below, there are tons of activities and initiatives of which you can be a part.
Are your employees into human rights and women empowerment? Or maybe you feel that activities linked to the environment and the protection of Nature are more relevant due to your brand and its values? Or are you into animals protection, children's education, refugees' help, assistance for senior citizens?
Do you wish to build these activities within the area of your offices? Or do you prefer to make them local and close to your employees? Or, of course, are you ready to take up the remote or hybrid challenge?
The opportunities are vast, and you can decide to mix things up or stay focused on a single kind of activity. The truth is, no matter what you choose, you'll need to manage everything to ensure that collaboration is going well and people stay connected, involved, and motivated. And for that, we only suggest you look into the all-in-one platform that Optimy is. It's online, easy to use, and super flexible so that it can adapt to your needs, brand, and teams. Wanna more about the platform?
