It is becoming increasingly important for organizations to focus time, effort and energy on corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and going \u201cgreen.\u201d Why? Because corporate citizenship has many advantages, including increased employee morale, strengthened brand recognition and greater customer confidence.<\/p>\n
Customers have a more positive image of companies that support a cause that they care about. Studies show that a majority of customers would switch to a brand that is associated with a good cause when price and quality are equal.<\/p>\n
Being a good corporate citizen is not just important to customers. It is also important to employees. The vast majority of employees at companies with strong corporate citizenship programs feel an enhanced sense of loyalty. This results in more dedicated and engaged employees who work harder to help their organizations succeed. This also means reduced turnover \u00a0since your CSR \u00a0creates a more desirable organizational brand that talented job-seekers are interested in working for.<\/p>\n
From a generational perspective, there are a couple of key considerations when it comes to corporate citizenship.<\/p>\n
There is generally a greater awareness by all four generations (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Ys) when it comes to an employer\u2019s corporate social responsibility. There are also increased expectations that organizations will act responsibly and \u201cgreen.\u201d However, each generation looks at corporate social responsibility differently.<\/p>\n
For Traditionalists, corporate social responsibility is a nice consideration after all other business factors are taken care of. For many Traditionalist (employers and employees), it was not at the forefront of their mindset when they were building their careers.<\/p>\n
Baby Boomers view green initiatives and corporate citizenship as an important way to market to consumers. They see these programs as ways to differentiate their brand and to make sure that they are viewed as market leaders.<\/p>\n
Gen Xers expect that their organizations show good corporate citizenship for the sake of the greater public good. They look at being responsible less as a way to benefit the bottom line and more because they believe it is the right thing to do.<\/p>\n
Gen Ys take this one step further. They consider environmental issues and corporate social responsibility to be top of mind. For Gen Ys, green initiatives and corporate citizenship are \u201cmust haves\u201d and not \u201cnice to dos.\u201d They expect their employers and the companies that they interact with, to be ethical corporate citizens and to care about the environment.<\/p>\n
During the recruitment process, Gen Ys are increasingly inquiring about the environment policies of prospective employees. Being a good corporate citizen now impacts an organization\u2019s ability to recruit high performing Gen Ys.<\/p>\n
Gen Xers and Gen Ys also expect their employers to track and measure their corporate social responsibility efforts and to report this information to employees on a regular basis. They want to know that their employers are doing a great job and that they are holding themselves accountable.<\/p>\n
There are several initiatives you can encourage employees to adopt, that will help the environment and save costs. \u00a0They are:<\/p>\n
Benefits of Corporate Citizenship It is becoming increasingly important for organizations to focus time, effort and energy on corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and going \u201cgreen.\u201d Why? Because corporate citizenship has many advantages, including increased employee morale, strengthened brand … Continue reading