There are so many aspects involved in running a successful business. It can be difficult to ensure that you have a system in place to manage all of the important factors that go into developing smooth daily operations. Unfortunately, one of the most crucial parts of a profitable and productive business is a positive corporate culture. Employee morale, company branding and worker retention are all components of the on-the-job culture of your business. When employees don’t feel valued or a part of the organization, their work can suffer.
They may even look elsewhere for the kind of atmosphere they desire. One rather simple way of engaging your employees and helping to bring back their spark is to engage them in a company volunteer project. Read on to learn how charity work can benefit your corporate culture.
Enhanced Pride
Doing good for others automatically instills a sense of pride in people. Working as a group toward a shared goal of providing assistance can provide overwhelming personal satisfaction, along with pride in the team. These positive feelings will more than likely spill over into the everyday work of your employees. The charitable organization isn’t the only party who wins when you volunteer your time as a company.
Organizational Respect
Not only will your workers feel pride in themselves and their fellow employees, they may also gain a greater sense of respect for the company. Knowing that the leaders of your organization are concerned for the community can have a tremendous impact on the ways in which your staff views the administration. Workers who respect their company leadership are more likely to put forth their best effort and to share positive stories about their employer with others.
Increased Productivity
Staff members can also gain a higher level of respect and cohesion with their colleagues when working on a volunteer project together. Working toward a shared goal of helping others diminishes feelings of competition that might exist in the day to day office atmosphere. It may also allow employees to see each other in a different light, leading to greater respect and understanding. These positive views can go far to creating a sense of team work and increasing productivity in workers.
Change of Pace
Organizing a charity activity or event for the office can spice up what may have become a rather dull daily routine. It’s easy to fall into a rut. Boredom and lack of purpose are sure productivity killers. Try to set up an activity that is both helpful and fun. Allowing your staff to get a little silly and blow off steam may be just what is needed to add some spark back into the company work flow.
Renewed Ethics and Purpose
Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important in life, both in personal and professional matters. Volunteering as a team can charge up your staff’s sense of ethics and philanthropy, causing them to reconsider their work’s purpose. They may feel more inspired to work for a company that displays a greater sense of ethical responsibility for the world around them. One small day of charity can have an enormous impact on the ways in which employees view themselves and their roles.
There are a wide variety of charitable causes and activities for which you can volunteer. Gather your key administrative leaders to discuss the type of organization that would most benefit from you help. Also, consider causes that mesh with your product, service, vision or philosophy. Perhaps there’s a charitable issue that has touched one or more of your employees personally.
Consider sending out a company-wide survey to solicit ideas for both types of organizations to assist and to generate ideas for specific volunteer activities. Sometimes the organization you choose may have preferred fundraising methods. If not, bringing employees together to brainstorm ideas is a great first step toward building increased morale. Performing charity work can definitely have a positive impact on your corporate culture.