How Corporate Responsibility is Being Used to Recruit and Retain Talent

For many millennials, it’s no longer enough to have a job that pays well. For this generation of workers, it’s about combining both mission and profit. According to an article from the Society for Human Resource Management, millennials are the least engaged group of workers, with only 28.9% feeling enthusiastic and committed to their workplace.

Read on to learn why companies that cultivate a socially impactful culture can attract and retain job seekers who are looking for something more.

Cultivate an active and open culture

Recruiting and retaining top tier talent means cultivating a culture that is fun, active, and open. Millennials are increasingly less likely to be engaged in a job that requires them to sit at a desk all day from 9 to 5. As a company, create opportunities for employees to be engaged through community service activities such as food drives, outdoor cleanup, or serving others at a local food pantry (it can be scheduled outside of office hours). Have top management set the tone for giving back to the community as a company and encouragement involvement at all levels. This also helps employees from different teams and departments network with each other.

Help employees develop new skills

High performing employees are usually always keeping an eye out for their next career move and what skills and experience they will need to acquire in order to get there. If your company offers corporate responsibility programs, this can lead to new areas of growth for your employees. For example, your company might decide to create a corporate responsibility committee and can ask for volunteers to contribute their expertise while shaping the larger corporate strategy. This would be a great opportunity for employees to gain additional experience outside of their current roles but without leaving your company. It’s a win-win situation. For a great example, refer to Goldman Sachs Community Team Works program.

Improve company reputation

Employees want to have pride in what they are doing and who they are working for. With a corporate responsibility program in place, it’s likely that your company will gain positive press and boost employee morale. Workers today, especially millennials, want to see their company lead the way in its industry by publicly supporting worthwhile causes.