2 minute read

Employee engagement is at an all-time low. The Great Resignation is taking its toll. As we move from pandemic to endemic stage, how do we recapture the culture and connection that we’ve lost in the workplace over the last two years?

In a recent Shoff Chat, our guests shared their thoughts on how to drive employee engagement through strategic use of social impact programs. Employees want purpose and meaning. They want companies to think bigger, make a difference, create a better world.

Joshua Driver, CEO of Selflessly, and Jacqueline Erickson Russell with Social Impact Advising Group shared insights on how to effectively develop social impact programs in the workplace.

Some of the key takeaways they shared:

Leaders have to be committed to social impact. Often, employees are ready for a holistic social impact strategy, but leaders aren’t. And that’s one reason employees are leaving, because they’re not seeing commitment on the part of their leaders.

That commitment is revealed in the investment of resources – both financial and human capital. By giving employees time to work on social impact strategies, leaders demonstrate its importance.

To develop an effective social impact strategy for your company, Driver and Erickson Russell suggest the following approach:

  • Start with listening. Get input from employees on what they’re passionate about and let them help shape the direction of your strategy.
  • Work in your strengths. Consider a cause that you can be passionate about but is also strategic and makes sense for your company because it’s related to your business, your customers or your community.
  • Get outside help. Consider bringing in a third party to help identify the right cause and the right way to support it. They’ll bring objective perspectives.
  • Be sure the organization/cause you select is ready for your involvement. If it doesn’t have the infrastructure to handle volunteers, for example, it may not be the right choice for an employee volunteer event.

Creating an opportunity for employees to rally around a cause that can impact the community is a great driver for employee engagement, but only if its developed with authenticity and employee input.  

Looking for a communications partner who can help you authentically connect your social impact efforts with employee engagement? Let’s connect. 

Listen to this episode or past Shoff Chats episodes here.