Corporate Social Responsibility Meets Company Culture in this Trendy New Approach
Businesses today face a unique crisis that demands new approaches. For many employees, the lack of meaning and motivation in their jobs found new lows after the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the growing inflation and a global cost of living crisis, however, what was dubbed the ‘Big Quit’—a massive post-pandemic wave of resignations and workforce reshuffle—has turned into the ‘Big Stay.’ People remaining in their jobs even if they don’t feel motivated or engaged.
But this ‘better the devil you know’ mindset can prove problematic for companies, especially due to low levels of enthusiasm and dedication employees feel for their jobs.
Many employees are ‘staying put,’ but they’re running on empty showing up each day with minimal energy or motivation. Unless employers fill that fuel tank with purpose and meaning, the whole organisation could grind to a halt.
The situation is dire. HR departments should be on high alert, as it can’t be solved by higher pay or shiny new office amenities. Instead, the way out of this crisis lies in understanding engagement and motivation and focusing on things that the new generation of employees really cares about.
That’s where approaches like corporate volunteering or purposeful teambuilding come in. They can foster collective spirit and advance the company’s purpose by replacing empty promises with concrete action.
By creating a workplace that cares, companies can tap into factors that are proven sources of engagement and intrinsic motivation.
Employee engagement is as low as ever. But not everywhere
Employee engagement statistics already offer a bleak outlook. Global engagement numbers are steady around 20 percent with no improvement in sight.
Imagine trying to enact your company’s vision with more than two-thirds of employees showing little interest in what you do. And now imagine standing against a company staffed with people who care, love what they do, are fulfilled, and who are at the top of their game.
That’s no contest. And this is not only a hypothetical. Top-performing companies boast employee engagement rates close to 70 percent.
To illustrate the scale of this problem, according to the Gallup State of the Global Workforce report, $8.9 trillion is lost in global GDP due to low engagement annually. That’s nine percent of the global economy, or the GDPs of Germany and Japan combined.
Behind this number are countless unrealised innovations and unfulfilled expectations. Low engagement is also a key factor in today’s global mental health crisis.
Engagement = productivity, performance, retention, and more
Why is engagement so important? It all comes down to how people see the relationship they have with the employer.
If they see it as emotionally valuable and mutually beneficial, they commit and contribute to the company’s well-being. Rather than simply taking as much as they can get from their employer, they want to give back by delivering their very best.
In turn, companies with high employee engagement see boosted productivity, better performance, improved retention, reduced absenteeism, higher customer satisfaction, and more.
According to a Gallup meta-analysis of over 300 research studies in hundreds of organisations, companies with an engaged workforce:
- Enhance profits by 21%.
- Increase productivity by 1 %.
- Reduce absenteeism by 41%.
- Experience 24%-50% less turnover, depending on whether they are atypically high or low turnover rate businesses.
- Achieve a 20% increase in sales.
- Show a 10% improvement in customer ratings.
It’s no surprise then that executives from across the world say that enhancing employee engagement has become one of their top five business strategies. Citing other benefits, like increasing company reputation and overall stakeholder value.
Engagement, Motivation, and Satisfaction: Similar but Different
Before exploring ways to boost engagement, let’s clarify engagement and contrast it with other closely interrelated concepts—engagement, motivation, and satisfaction. Each describes a distinct aspect of our mindset at work, requiring unique strategies to improve.
Engagement is emotional and psychological commitment employees feel towards their organisation. Engaged employees feel focused, intensely involved in their work, and want their company to succeed—though precise definitions can vary from one organisation to another.
91% of the 1000 office professionals said volunteer opportunities can have a positive impact on their overall work experience and connection to their employer.
Motivation refers to the internal drive or external stimuli that cause us to behave in a certain way. External (extrinsic) motivators might include pay or bonuses, while internal (intrinsic) motivators often stem from personal growth or genuine interest.
Although motivation and engagement overlap, they’re not identical. A motivating job can boost engagement, but other factors—like work environment—can tip the balance. And when engagement fades, motivation often follows.
Satisfaction measures how content we feel with our overall job situation. Engagement and motivation contribute to satisfaction, but it also hinges on aspects like work-life balance and relationships with colleagues.
Different combinations of these three factors lead to different outcomes: for instance, motivated but disengaged employees might go job-hunting, while satisfied yet unmotivated employees may stay put without contributing much energy or innovation.
Traditional ways to increase engagement
Several typical approaches that dominate employee engagement strategies include increasing recognition, professional development, well-being initiatives, communication, or building strong relationships.
These aim to:
- Increase the sense of recognition and being valued.
- Link employees’ efforts to a bigger purpose, mission, or culture.
- Allow personal growth, vision, and mastery.
- Ensure enough downtime to rest and recharge.
- Provide guidance, connection, and transparency.
In other words, employees thrive when they feel part of something bigger, understand how they contribute, and know what’s expected of them.
Modern Engagement Boosters: Purpose, CSR, and Beyond
But that is not the whole story. Values and sense of pride play an important role too. And surveys are finding that responsibility towards the society and the environment has never been more important.
In this environment, it’s no surprise that genuine CSR activities, corporate volunteering programmes, and teambuilding linked with a broader purpose consistently emerge as top-tier engagement strategies. That’s because they resonate with employees’ values—particularly among younger generations.
Generation shifts and Millennial expectations:
In 2016, a Cone Communications study found that 83% of millennials would be more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental issues, 75% would take a pay cut to work for a responsible company, and 64% wouldn’t accept a job at an organisation lacking strong CSR practices.
Fast forward to 2024. Deloitte’s Gen Z and Millennial Survey reveals that nearly nine in ten Gen Zs and millennials consider purpose crucial to job satisfaction. They’re more likely to turn down work that doesn’t align with their values—and as millennials soon make up 75% of the global workforce, companies ignoring purpose do so at their peril.
Nearly everyone wants to work for a company that cares:
In June 2024, a Deloitte study of 1,000 office professionals connected volunteering and engagement. A whopping 91% said volunteer opportunities positively affect their work experience, and 87% see these programmes as a factor in deciding whether to stay or move on. And 95% believe it’s important for their employer to make a meaningful impact on the community.
The numbers are clear.
Hunger for purpose:
When designing corporate volunteering or purpose driven initiatives, linking them to the company’s values and mission is key. According to Deloitte, nearly 90% of Gen Z and millennial employees say purpose is essential for workplace satisfaction and well-being. CSR activities are one of the clearest ways to show a company genuinely cares about more than profits.
Using SolarBuddy LIVE purposeful teambuilding to boost engagement
SolarBuddy LIVE offers hands-on social impact-driven teambuilding that is designed to fit seamlessly into engagement-boosting strategies. Each event directly supports SolarBuddy’s mission to end energy poverty worldwide, improving access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities while also enhancing safety for those in need.
Because SolarBuddy is deeply committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it easily connects with the company’s broader CSR goals.
Through these programs employees experience a direct sense of purpose as they build solar lights, learn about energy poverty and the lives of those receiving the lights—tapping into the universal need for connection and impact. These events also encourage collaboration and innovation, strengthening relationships and, in turn, boosting engagement.
Ready to Boost Engagement with Purposeful Teambuilding?
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