I was searching the Internet last week for any news on awards and recognition, and its effect on employee performance and the financial success of a company. Instead, I came across an article that stated employee satisfaction coincides with corporate social responsibility. Employees want to be recognized for their contributions to the community and they want their employers involved as well.

Adopting a corporate social responsibility recognition program has the profound ability to raise an organization’s profile in the community. Social responsibility also boosts employee loyalty, satisfaction and engagement.

So why don’t more organizations embrace corporate social responsibility? If your employees enjoy volunteering for certain organizations, why not get involved too? If an employee was more productive and satisfied at work because you recognized and joined their volunteering efforts, wouldn’t you embrace social responsibility? 

The 2004 Cone Corporate Citizenship study in the United States surveyed 1,033 employees that showed 87% felt a strong sense of loyalty to their companies when they actively support social causes.

Obviously, implementing a social responsibility recognition program to this regard takes some planning. You need to learn about issues and causes your employees are already involved in. Then mold a strategy that encourages workers to invest themselves in the program and the company.

The recognition program has to reward employees for their involvement in the community in order to transform that involvement into the foundation of a socially responsible strategy. Make sure your strategy aligns with employee concerns, brand attributes and corporate values. Without it, a program can be doomed to failure.

A program to recognize social responsibility won’t work if it is insincere! Your employees will notice the dishonest effort, and employee satisfaction and loyalty will backfire.

Employees need to feel acknowledged for their achievements in a timely and specific manner. A simple: “well, thanks for volunteering at that food shelter, you really helped the company. Keep up the good work,” will not suffice. Recognize their contributions with something that symbolizes their involvement with the company and the cause they support. This will be personally meaningful and extremely significant to the recipient.

Case in point: get involved with your employees volunteering efforts, and then recognize them for it. Not only will you see a significant increase to your bottom line, a reinforced brand image, and an expansion in the company’s goodwill in the community, but you will also see a huge increase in employee retention, satisfaction and loyalty.

Source: "Recognizing Good Deeds Provides its Own Rewards," Mercy, Andy; Dailey, Andrew. Canadian HR Reporter. Toronto: April 10, 2006.

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Submitted by Laura on September 25, 2006 - 12:40.