Community giving helps with worker attraction, retention: survey

Eighty-six per cent of employees who are convinced their company is highly committed to community say they are “extremely” or “very likely” to stay in their job for the next two years, according to a new study from Imagine Canada.

And 50 per cent of employees say they considered their employer’s reputation for charitable and community work before accepting their position, found the survey of 1,506 private sector workers and 65 corporations involved in community investment.

“This report sends a nuanced message,” says Bruce MacDonald, Imagine Canada’s president and CEO. “Employees who believe their company is genuinely committed to community are more likely to stay; more likely to be loyal; more likely to share common purpose and more likely to recommend their company to others. But the research also shows businesses don’t get these benefits unless community investment is done well. The commitment to creating social value must be authentic and deeply embedded in a corporation’s DNA. Dabbling in donations won’t influence employees.”

More than one-quarter (28 per cent) say they would be willing to take a pay decrease to work for a company more strongly committed to community service, says Profit, Purpose and Talent: Trends and Motivations in Corporate Giving and Volunteering.

Among employees who believe their company is highly committed to community:

• 84 per cent are extremely or very satisfied with their job compared to 46 per cent of others
• 59 per cent say they are very likely to recommend their company versus 23 per cent of others
• 47 per cent strongly agree they share a common social purpose with their company compared to 16 per cent of others

Workplace donation programs inspire generosity

The survey also found a high potential for growing employee giving. Among those working for companies with payroll deduction programs, employee donation matching and giving campaigns, 79 per cent of employees reported they donated to charity versus 47 per cent of those with no workplace donation programs.

As well, 76 per cent of those surveyed say they now regularly support a charity they learned about at work.

“Socially committed corporations and their employees are a bulwark against the social deficit,” says MacDonald. “Visionary corporate leaders are recognizing community investment as the means to attracting the workforce of tomorrow.”