ENGAGE NEW STAFFERS WITH CHARITY AND VOLUNTEERISM
Like many employers, you may face challenges acquiring and retaining top talent. National PEO can advertise your openings with expertly crafted job descriptions that draw in your industry’s best applicants. They’re likely to be millennials from 18 to 34 years old who represent today’s greatest workforce proportion at 34 percent. Generation X makes up 32 percent, and baby boomers trail at 31. But the youngest labor pool’s low company loyalty poses challenges for employers’ retention plans.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that average job tenures are much shorter for young adults, compared to their more mature colleagues. Among 20- to 24-year olds, the cutoff is under 16 months. Those from 25 to 34 stay three years. Add all older generations into the mix, and the median job duration reaches five and a half years for everyone over 25. Employee engagement efforts that support bonding and loyalty while strengthening teamwork encourage new hires to remain at companies longer.
Focus on Millennials’ Priorities
A study discovered that millennials prioritize helping needy people over their own high-paying careers. Other research shows that volunteerism is vital to engage employees, lift morale, increase job satisfaction, and enhance productivity. So charitable projects have become popular workforce engagement tools. While critics claim that America’s job-hopping young adults act like an entitled group, most companies can’t afford to disregard their psychosocial and emotional needs for purpose and meaning in their jobs.
Astute business leaders realize that every generation approaches volunteering differently. According to a BLS report, millennial workers want to share community giving and feel a connection through mutual enthusiasm for their employers’ cause culture. Energetic, tech-savvy millennials represent the social media age, so engaging in interactive volunteer experiences will inspire them to give more to charities and at work.
Most of the attributes that retain millennials are the ones that convinced them to join organizations initially. Their top considerations are business culture, cause involvement, staff diversity, work environment, and human resource (HR) standards. Companies that integrate altruistic endeavors into their cultures and adapt their corporate social responsibility (CSR) approaches to millennials increase their odds of landing and retaining young recruits.
Experience shows that whatever satisfies millennials probably fulfills everyone’s needs. All employees hope their employers care about their surrounding communities. So integrating philanthropy into your firm’s core mission is crucial. The most successful programs have company-wide support and understanding with businesses tracking specific and measurable goals.
Develop Humanitarian Strategies
Giving your staff chances to utilize company time or resources to benefit charitable causes will satisfy their desires to give while also communicating that your civic compassion matches theirs. Try these strategies to incorporate volunteering into staff positions:
Hold workday team-building activities. Donate combined efforts to build Habitat for Humanity houses. Landscape playgrounds or plant gardens at schools. Host Big Brothers and/or Big Sisters lunches and then watch performing arts presentations together.- Conduct contests. Allow winning entrants to donate their prize money to their favorite charities. Researchers found that such competitions motivate employees more than bonuses while also honing their collaboration skills.
- Establish an incentivized volunteer program. Let employees take off a set number of paid workdays to give back at personally chosen charities. On a larger scale, consider covering all expenses for domestic and international volunteer trips or offer bonuses.
- Invite staffers to attend your firm’s grant committee meetings. Listen to their recommendations on which nonprofits should receive your company’s contributions.
Enjoy the Rewards
Serving worthy nonprofits provides multiple advantages for your company and personnel. Offering expertise and skills to benefit others is rewarding. Employees who can leave work to donate their time and talents to others will be grateful for your benevolent policies. They’ll appreciate being able to provide community services without the financial penalties of using up their paid time off, losing wages for their generosity, or needing to make up missed time. They’ll also return with new abilities they acquired while volunteering.
Staffers helping local non-profits represent your firm and display its values publicly. They humanize what local residents may perceive as just another uncaring faceless operation. Corporate volunteering demonstrates that your organization extends beyond tools and calculations. Neighborly people living in and contributing to your region are driving your business. Charitable activities build stronger ties from boosting community spirit to strengthening your internal team. While spreading your company’s civic pride and concern, your local humanitarian presence also may attract potential new like-minded employees.