Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is now a fundamental part of business culture, bringing people across different departments together for a common cause. Together with a vibrant company culture, it is an increasingly important part of the decision-making process within the job market, especially for the Millennial generation of job hunters.
There are two key purposes to maintaining an active CSR programme. First and foremost, it is simply the right thing to do. Building a close relationship with a charity has a real-world positive impact on the wider world, showing an organisation is socially conscious.
Secondly, CSR programmes can have a more practical purpose. By having a common, company-wide goal with fundraising events and activities to support a chosen charity, they bring different departments and teams together. This can be particularly important within companies that are growing quickly, or have undergone recent mergers, helping to consolidate and act as a constant team building exercise that employees can be fully invested in from day one. CSR programmes can also help companies build closer relationships with their customers, demonstrating care and social awareness. All of these things ultimately improve the profitability of the business, keeping employees and customers close and loyal.
CSR programmes are a genuine pull for new talent and spark excitement about the business outside of the nine-to-five working day. It is no longer enough to have competitive salaries and benefits; Millennials are an outward-looking, global generation, and they expect a socially conscious perspective from the companies they work for.
As millennials are the first generation to grow up in a time when CSR programmes are the norm, they are hyper aware of, and have high expectations for, CSR programmes. If companies are serious about attracting and maintaining the new generation of talent, CSR should be taken seriously.
Social media is practically embedded in a Millennial’s DNA and they are, after all, the most connected generation, so companies with CSR programmes should make this obvious on their website, and shout about it on social media. That way, not only can the public see what organisations are up to, but employees are also kept in the loop, touching base with this important aspect for company culture.
The best companies use their skills and resources to benefit their chosen charity, rather than taking a relaxed approach; it is embedded into the company’s culture and taken as seriously as everything else they do.
CSR programmes allow companies to interact with the world outside of their board rooms and create a common goal, giving employees opportunities to meet colleagues they may not usually have contact with. The most successful CSR programmes instil pride, loyalty and a sense of belonging and inclusion; all good things to both prospective and current employees.
By Campbell Williams, Group Strategy & Marketing Director at Six Degrees Group.
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