Making the Connection with Employee Volunteerism Programs - Intro and Achieving HR Goals (Part 1)

How to Leverage Employee Volunteerism Programs in a Down Economy (Part 1)

Introduction

During the economic downturn of the past year, many companies have been tempted to eliminate or scale down their employee volunteerism programs (EVPs). Yet, EVPs are a perfect example of programs that “does more with less.” In fact, EVPs are cost-effectively achieving very many strategic goals for companies. If EVPs are aligned and organized around a strategic business goal, they can even grow in this economy.

Making the Connection: What are the different strategic goals that EVPs can further? 

Human Resource Goals 

Goals of improving human resource metrics are high in the mind of every CEO. The struggle for EVP managers is to make that connection between the EVP programs, employee engagement and the strategic goals. In his Letter to Our Shareholders in Targets 2008 Annual report, Gregg Steinhafel, Target’s Chairman, President and CEO writes:

"In today’s environment we recognize, perhaps more than ever, the importance of providing a workplace that is preferred by our team members and the value of investing in our communities to improve the quality of life. Our legacy of community giving — both in terms of financial support and team member volunteer hours — is a hallmark of our brand and a differentiating factor in our ability to attract and retain top talent."

Some CEOs may not make that connection as quickly as Steinhafel. But there are specific strategies for linking your CEO’s goals and your EVP program that can be extremely effective in making that bond.

If your business’s strategic goals are	Your EVP adds value in this way	EVP Strategy
Focus on team building Example: “Take an enterprise view of our people and processes and work as a single team to advance Allstate rather than our individual interests.” Allstate 2009 Annual Report	When teams of employees go out of the traditional office setting and focus on a common goal, they forge new bonds and experience the benefits of working as a team to achieve a singular goal of which they previously had little commitment. Rather than their personal silo-ed goals.	Volunteering Together: Team Volunteering
Strengthen culture Example: “People come to GE because they understand there is more to life than making a buck. People come here because they want to make a difference, and never has this been more important than it is right now.” Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, GE 2008 Annual Report	Volunteering provides a very tangible expression of the core values of most of the most successful companies in the world. Furthermore, employee volunteerism programs show employees that you “walk the walk.”	Living Our Commitment
Build morale after a layoff or realignment “Our company just went through a huge transformation.  Now we need to refocus. We need to reassure the employees that are still here that our commitment to them and to the company is strong.”	Volunteering as a team or supporting individual employees’ volunteering provides a constructive venue to reignite employees’ passions and remind them why they choose to join your company.  Also, a reduction in force has an effect on the local community as a whole, employee volunteering reminds the community that your company is here to stay and still values the community.	Engaging Employees’ Passions
Cross train employees to take on new expanded roles or to reduce employee turnover Example: “To remain competitive, we need to cut costs dramatically.  We need to reduce employee training and recruitment costs.”	Skills based volunteering not only helps build capacity in non-profits; it also builds core competencies in your employees.  An employee who will soon take on project management skills can strengthen those skills by planning and executing a department-wide volunteer event. An employee who has just taken on more website design responsibility can help a non-profit to ramp up their online presence at the same time as he or she can gain experience with new web design technologies.	Volunteer to Grow: Skills Based volunteering