Friday, April 12, 2013

Company Philanthropy Builds Camaraderie & Teamwork

By Sebastian Troup


Creating a company culture of "doing good" is an excellent way to build a positive workplace environment. Helping those in need can enrich your employees' lives, hence working for a company that supports and encourages charitable goals results in happier, more productive employees. For years, businesses have debated the best methods to effectively incorporate a philanthropic culture in the workplace. Here are some basic steps you can take to support these goals at your own company:

In order to help your employees give to others, your management team can act as facilitators. One thing your managers can do is to ensure that employees have some time set aside for charitable acts. Give them a few hours off during working hours, and if possible, also offer a bit of time off with pay during the year. This actually makes it easier to track volunteer hours and makes it easier for employees since many of them have other commitments during their after-work time.

One of the main benefits of encouraging philanthropy in the workplace is that it truly brings people together. If you have a charitable cause with a personal connection to your employees, this is even easier to accomplish. For example, perhaps one or several employees has lost someone or battled a serious illness. Supporting an organization that seeks to find a cure or support those with a disease might be a great idea and one that will truly create a bond of caring among your employees.

Another great way to make office philanthropy very effective is to have your business and its employees engage and support a cause that benefits the local area. This makes the act of giving more concrete and less abstract. For instance, while supporting a cause in faraway impoverished nation is a wonderful idea, if you can find a great local cause that needs support then your employees can truly see the effect of their giving.

If you're looking to get your entire company involved with a charity, its important those at the top are also involved. When employees see management alongside them doing whatever it takes to contribute to a cause, it provides a real sense of teamwork. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on various "team building retreats," you can simply choose a worthy cause and go out into the field together.

If you are out there supporting a cause, be sure to spread the work. Encourage your staff members to use social networking sites to tell others about the company's endeavors. This will generate even more interest and support for your cause. In addition, it improves public perception of your company and even encourages other companies to consider created a philanthropic plan for their businesses, as well.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment