Being philanthropic requires at least one of three things: time, talent, or treasure. Since employees are working in someone else’s business, chances are they lack significant treasure. They may have talent that charities can use, however without the time to serve, those talents go untapped or wasted. After working all day (or night), then cleaning the house, doing the laundry, walking the dog, going to the gym, etc., what little free time employees do have is often spent trying to recover in time to do it all over again the next day. Volunteer work, while something they may have a strong desire to do, often falls by the wayside.
But how does giving them time off from work to volunteer help business? First, employers that recognize their employees’ charitable desires show that they really understand the employee. The employee feels valued and appreciated because the boss took the time to not only realize they enjoyed volunteer work, but support it. Employees that feel valued often work harder to maintain that value for the company. Even though they may take time off to go to a meeting or work at a charity, when they are on the job they are working much harder than they did before and certainly much more diligently than the average employee.
Second, charitable giving takes on many forms. Some employees are members of local service clubs such as Soroptimist International or the Lions Club. These clubs bring business and community members together to do good works within the local community. Having employees as members in these groups provides exposure for your business and in many cases introduces what you do to audiences that might otherwise never know your business is out there. Other employees might be involved in health-related causes such as the local blood bank or the American Cancer Society. These organizations hold fund raising events and public education forums and are often looking not only for monetary sponsors, but rooms to hold meetings. Offering your facility once a month during off hours also brings new customers to your business without costing you one cent of your advertising budget. Sometimes simply allowing a charity to advertise their fundraising or special events in the store window or on the office counter can draw attention of potential customers who appreciate doing business with a company that supports the same causes they do. This can be especially beneficial if your employees work on a cause together or as a team. Workplaces that support a group effort, such as the annual United Way campaign become fun, vibrant environments where creativity can blossom. As employees look for unique ways to compete against their co-workers, they are building better working relationships, thinking creatively, demonstrating commitment, and enjoying their time at work. These are all necessary characteristics for productive employees.
Some things to consider:
1. Start small. If charitable activity is a new idea for your company, suggest employees pick one project they can work on together. If multiple ideas emerge, remind them that this is something that will be ongoing and a different project can be selected the next time.
2. Set boundaries. Make sure employees understand how much of their time can be spent on the charitable project and watch for someone who is being drawn in too far on company time. Once an organization finds out your employees are willing and able to help, you may be overwhelmed with requests for support. Encourage employees to practice saying no.
3. Allow them to use company email and phone systems for their charitable work. Making it easy for people to communicate will reduce the need for people to leave work, whether it is to take care of the kids or take care of a problem at their volunteer “job”.
4. Decide up front if you want to censor which activities your employees are involved in on company time. If you have no preference or don’t give it any advance thought, be prepared to deal with an employee who wants to volunteer at an organization that you despise.
5. Make sure the work gets done. While philanthropy can be good for business, spending too much time away from the work at hand can hurt the bottom line.
Creating an environment where employees feel valued, trusted, and empowered should be at the top of every business owner’s to do list. Allowing employees to “give at the office” is a key strategy toward making that happen.
Editor´s Note: The full title of the article is Giving at the Office: How Encouraging Employee’s Charitable Activities is Good for Business
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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
