Organizations today are increasingly becoming aware of their responsibility of contributing towards the betterment of society and the wider community. Many organizations offer financial and material assistance. Others encourage the involvement and participation of their employees in community service. Should organizations recognize employees for community service?
Traditionally, organizations have been recognizing employees for their efforts, contributions, and achievements that help in driving business growth.
More recently employee recognition programs have come to include specific behaviors that have a positive impact on other organization values such as collaboration, innovation, integrity, etc.
Hence, many progressive organizations have started recognizing their employees who participate in community outreach programs,
When it comes to recognizing employees volunteering for community services, organizations need to justify the same.
The most important benefits of such initiatives are as follows:
1. Improves Teamwork and Collaboration
2. Encourages Innovation and Problem Solving
3. Builds Interpersonal Skills
4. Hones Leadership and Organizational Skills
5. Boosts Employee Morale
6. Improves the Organization’s Reputation and Goodwill
Encouraging employees to contribute voluntarily to community service can help improve the sense of coordination and cooperation among co-workers.
Volunteering teaches employees the art of giving without expecting anything in return and gradually this habit can become an integral part of their personalities.
Additionally, it would inspire other employees to volunteer. Over time, it becomes part of the work culture of the organization.
This ensures that co-workers show a greater willingness to help and support each other, creating a work environment that is based on coordination and collaboration.
Employees might also get opportunities to utilize their technical capabilities and creative thinking to overcome the practical challenges of community work.
This too can have a positive impact on their performance at work and help in business growth.
Employees volunteering for community services develop better interpersonal skills. This is because they have to deal with individuals of different personality types, temperaments, and backgrounds.
Employees can empathize with the people they are trying to serve.
They learn to deal with different types of people with greater patience and confidence. This rubs off on their dealings with their difficult colleagues at the workplace.
Hence, it helps build conflict management skills and helps in creating a more peaceful and harmonious work environment.
Most organizations understand the importance of identifying potential leaders and grooming them for bigger roles within the organization.
Employees volunteering for social service often exhibit the key traits that the organization would look for in a good leader.
These include effective communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to motivate others, and the confidence to take initiative and overcome challenges, etc.
Organizations can then nurture such potential leaders through the right guidance, mentoring, and support to take up key organizational positions sometime in the future.
When employees get recognition for something that is for the greater good of society and not just themselves or the organization, they feel that the organization truly values and appreciates them as individuals.
Hence, it helps in boosting their morale and improves their sense of self-worth. It helps them earn the respect of their co-workers and society at large.
It helps to improve the overall motivation levels of the employees which can have a positive impact on their performance and efficiency at work.
When an organization chooses to recognize its employees for their social work, it sends out a strong positive message to the entire professional community.
Such gestures are reflective of the fact that the organization takes its corporate social responsibility very seriously and promotes similar behavior by the members of its workforce.
Hence, it creates a positive impact on the perception of the organization among its customers, business partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
So, they perceive the organization as a responsible corporate citizen. It enhances its market credibility and goodwill.
Recognizing employees for their contribution towards community service goes to show that the organization too cares for the greater good of society and encourages its employees to be directly involved in such initiatives.
Lead author: Sagar Chaudhuri, the Co-Founder and CEO of HiFives. He is an HR Tech Evangelist with over 25 years of experience in the corporate world and entrepreneurship. In the past, Sagar has worked with companies such as Genpact, Infosys, and ICICI Bank, in leadership roles. He has an engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. Connect on LinkedIn
To stay updated on the latest HiFives blogs follow us on Twitter (@MyHiFives)