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By Susan Hunt Stevens
We have reached a new era in business – one where employee engagement, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) all play critical roles in overall success. But, as I continue to hear from companies, figuring out where and how to start – whether that’s adopting a new sustainability initiative or implementing a full-blown employee engagement program – is often most difficult part of the process. Now that’s not to say that these companies don’t understand the benefits and positive impact of such programs. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. So much has been made over the past couple of years around just how valuable these programs can be to improving employee satisfaction, retention, productivity and overall bottom-line profits.
To that point, here are the best, most compelling CSR, sustainability and employee engagement research reports that have been published in the past year. What’s important to understand is that these reports go far beyond their stats and figures – they provide valuable insights into how companies are approaching employee engagement, the uptick in the number of companies adopting a “business for good” approach and positive-impact mindset, what employees are looking for from the companies they work for, the importance of employees finding value in their work, and more.
The key takeaway here is that employees no longer simply clock-in at work, complete their tasks and clock-out. Therefore, organizations must by agile and strategic in their offerings for employees who are demanding flexible schedules, their ability to deliver more benefits (not all necessarily in the form of pay) and their diligence in providing opportunities – whether it be volunteering or leading a corporate recycling program – that enable employees to find deep and personal meaning in and outside of work.
This is important, because until recently, not much attention was paid to the value of positive employee-manager relationships. But as companies are finding out, this is a key aspect in driving an engaged workforce, increased productivity, decreased turnover and widespread business benefits.
What we’re seeing here is that, maybe for the first time, businesses are approaching sustainability and CSR initiatives as need-to-haves, not just nice-to-haves. And as consumers demand more and more from the companies they engage and spend money with (more on that later), businesses are debunking the myth that pursuing sustainability is a drain on profits. Instead, they are understanding that by delivering on customer demands, as well as trying to do what’s right as global citizens, these programs can actually boost the bottom line.
And these types of findings aren’t just wishful thinking – look at companies like Patagonia, Timberland and TOMS, who have all openly committed to delivering sustainable products and supporting positive impact programs domestically and abroad; these companies have intensely loyal customers (brand advocates, if you will), are all experiencing incredible profits (despite focusing efforts on great products, service and positivity first), and establishing themselves as industry leaders in more ways than one.
What all of these reports tell us is that we have reached a new height for the importance of employee engagement, CSR and sustainability in the business world. So important, in fact, that I would argue these factors are going to be key differentiators for whether a company succeeds or fails.
Image credit: Pixabay
Susan Hunt Stevens is the founder and CEO of WeSpire, the employee engagement platform company that empowers forward-thinking global organizations to reach their greatest potential. She is a recognized expert in the use of social and game mechanics to drive positive behavior change. Previously, Stevens spent nine years at The New York Times Company, most recently as senior vice president/GM of Boston.com. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and The Tuck School of Business. Check out WeSpire's recent survey, "The Evolution of Employee Engagement Research Report 2015".
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