When volunteering fails- Understanding the challenges of CSR- driven employee engagement
“I don’t want to spend my Saturday mornings cleaning a beach if I’ve worked till midnight on Friday.”
“Often we would have to engage in random 1-day volunteer activities just because it was mandatory…There was hardly any internal encouragement and a general attitude of volunteering without any purpose.”
These statements that were recorded in conversation with employees working in at banks and management consultancies, might come as a shock to many who believe in the transformative power of employee volunteering programmes. However, it is a sad reflection of how employees in many workplaces in India continue to perceive CSR engagement through volunteering schemes. Despite their well-intentioned efforts, companies are unable to bridge the gap between their employees’ desire for greater participation in developing society and then converting this into impactful action.
Communicating purpose through CSR-led volunteer engagement
Employee engagement can happen in myriad ways and there are many companies who have successfully managed to do so, volunteer programmes being one such route. Beyond the feel-good factor however, employee-led volunteering is also a powerful tool for organisations to communicate and authenticate their larger purpose and CSR values to their people. As the conversation on purpose takes firmer roots in India, it is also important to recognise the mutually symbiotic relationship between CSR and engagement in enabling this. More importantly, when organisations fail to connect the dots between daily business and their stated purpose, it is their employees who notice it first and whom it affects the most.
Image source: Peoplematters.in
Exploring the employee engagement- purpose gap
Research in recent years has well-established the connection between CSR engagement, building purpose and employee motivation. It is becoming increasingly hard to also deny that communicating authenticity of CSR values in everyday business is a big pull factor for attracting millennial and Gen-Z talent into the workforce. Yet, there is an absence of an enabling environment in most workplaces to foster this connection. It is therefore extremely necessary to understand the various reasons as to why this gap exists before finding ways to address it.
A sense of meritocracy-led entitlement hinders some from taking CSR-based activities seriously. Some are unwilling to engage with volunteering engagements because of the lack of consequences or incentives (unless of course, if there is sudden pressure from senior management). This only creates further resentment and widens the gap. Others can easily see through the superficiality of one-off events that make them feel uninvolved and disconnected with their organisation’s purpose. Some simply lack role models or don’t see any authentic leadership buy-in from within their workforce, which can inspire them to take up this form of external engagement seriously.
All of these reasons are legitimate and need to be addressed on a constant, collaborative basis. As educator Deborah Ball states, discovering purpose through employee engagement is akin to “learning and unlearning the organisation,” while working towards a “collective creation of purpose.”
Making the connection- gradually, consistently and collectively
Image source: Harvard Business Review, by George McFetridge
When organisations take holistic, concrete efforts to integrate employee engagement within their purpose-driven CSR strategies, they encounter a gradual shift in workplace attitudes. Employees are less likely to hoard their dedication and energy when they internalise the message that their work requires them to serve a purpose beyond bringing in profits. Seeing senior leaders engage in volunteering activities beyond special days dedicated to social causes also drives employee motivation to give more freely of their time. Many organisations have learnt the tricks of the trade of what works for them, be it incentivising volunteering, communicating successful CSR initiatives and constantly reminding employees about their purpose. Employees want to feel proud of their workplaces and CSR engagement through volunteering is a rewarding way to enable that.