02/02/2006
Reason to Stay
Increase Employee Loyalty with Corporate Philanthropy
By Steve Taylor, VCG President
As seen in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of ASA's Staffing Success magazine
Looking for ways to motivate your staff and increase their loyalty to your staffing firm? Give them a cause.
A sense of "mission" can be a powerful motivator, as evidenced in the outpouring of assistance after last year's devastating hurricanes, when ASA members around the country pitched in to help those in need. In addition to helping people find jobs, staffing firms and industry suppliers came up with other ways to help, such as donating money set aside for a holiday party, offering clothing and housing and helping to track down family members.
Citizen of the Community
A company's role in its community can be a factor in increasing profitability, strengthening company brand and reputation and increasing customer loyalty, as well as attracting and retaining employees. So says Business for Social Responsibility, a global organization that helps member companies achieve success in ways that respect ethical values, people, committees and the environment, in its issue brief "Overview of Business and Community Investment."
Staffing firm, Jean Thorne Inc., headquartered in St. Paul, MN, focuses its efforts on helping children.
"We sponsor a golf tournament with a silent auction for St. Joseph's Home for Children, which provides a safe haven for children at risk," says Mary Marso, chief executive officer of Jean Thorne. "In the first 10 years, we have raised more than $400,000. The event has become well-known in the community, and we have received a number of prestigious awards for our results in this cause. It has positioned us as a good corporate citizen and over time has provided us with a lot of positive public relations value."
Giving back to the community is also part of the business philosophy of Landrum Staffing, based in Pensacola, FL. The company contributes time and money to organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and the United Way.
But the need to give hit home in 2004 with the devastation of Hurricane Ivan. After the hurricane, Landrum organized a relief effort in which many of its temporary and contract employees cleaned up debris. Company executives also helped form an organization called Rebuild Northwest Florida. Rebuild Northwest Florida now has a permanent staff that is supported by Amstaff, Landrum's professional employer organization.
For Landrum, community begins with its staff. As the hurricane loomed, the company's first priority was ensuring the safety and well-being of its employees. Because of the assistance the company provided its employees, from issuing paychecks and closing the office before the hurricane struck to providing care after the storm, Landrum Resources Co. (parent to Landrum Staffing) was named to the list of the "25 best small companies" in the July 2005 issue of HR Magazine.
Creative Contributions
Fun, rewards, reputation, challenge and purpose. Those are five sources of motivation identified by John E. Barbuto Jr., associate professor of leadership at the University of Nebraska, in his December 2001 paper "77 Ways to Motivate Your Workers."
Motivation is evident at JFC Staffing Associates, based in Camp Hill, PA.
"JFC's philanthropic efforts provide an arena of creative thinking when we develop different and fun ways to raise money and have direct involvement with recipients," says Cathy Reichelderfer, the company's chief financial officer. "Our programs nourish workplace creativity, imagination and relationship building."
At the suggestion of a payroll coordinator, each regional JFC office held a barbecue, giving staff members the opportunity to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and to meet and network with other JFC employees.
The result? JFC was able to send a four-year-old boy and his mother to Disney World, granting him his wish. Many staff members met him at the airport at 4:30 in the morning to wish him a happy trip.
JFC has also been involved with Camp Dragonfly, a place where kids deal with the loss of a loved one, and the Buddy Program, a Christmas dance and party employees host for the mentally disabled.
As a result of the company's community efforts, Reichelderfer says employees work more closely together as a team, and employee satisfaction has increased.
JFC also ranks on the list of Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania. Although making the list is based on a variety of factors, including an employee survey, Reichelderfer notes that the company's philanthropic efforts are a factor.
Find Your Cause
In developing a philanthropy program for your staffing firm, simply focus on what's important to you and your employees. People are interested in what directly affects them, their families and their community.
To help you get started, here are some examples of what other staffing firms have done. For their public service, these companies have been recognized over the past several years in the annual Staffing Industry Communication Awards competition.
- AMN Healthcare Inc. partners with Volunteer San Diego, a nonprofit that pairs individuals, families and corporate and community groups with volunteer projects and service groups through San Diego.
- Express Personnel Services uses appearances by its team of Clydesdales to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network across the U.S. and Canada.
- Gage Personnel, in coordination with the March of Dimes, raises money, as well as awareness, for healthy babies with its annual "blue jeans for babies" fundraiser.
- The staff of Remedy Intelligent Staffing compiled a cookbook of favorite recipes as the core of a fundraising campaign for the United Way.
Other ideas:
- Get involved in a career tutoring program that helps people prepare for an interview with skills training and proper business attire.
- Start a branch office competition to raise money or collect donations for your company's chosen cause.
- Give employees the opportunity to donate a percentage of their paychecks to a certain charity.
The options are limitless. Get your staff together and discuss issues that are relevant in your community. By including them in the creation of an internal philanthropy program, you'll help them become more invested in the outcomes.
Spread the Word
Once you've established a philanthropic program for your company, make sure you have information about the program on your Web site and in your offices.
In addition to involving your employees, let your customers know about the activities you are involved in to improve your community. You might even venture a partnership between a customer and your staffing firm for more volunteers, contributions and exposure.
And be sure to tout your work in the community in your recruiting efforts. In a 2004 survey by Deloitte & Touche of 2,169 adults, 72 percent said that when deciding between two jobs with the same location, responsibilities, pay and benefits, they would choose to work for a company that supports charitable causes.
Whatever cause you choose, your employees, your company and your community will benefit.