Employment: value of community affairs for employees
October 01, 2000
Value of community affairs for employees
Three out of every four job-seekers would choose a company that supports a cause above one which does not, all other factors being equal, according to a survey of over 1,000 Americans by consultants Cone Inc with Opinion Research. Of those planning to move within the next year, nine out of ten would choose the company with a cause. The survey findings were published in August.
Meanwhile, in a second survey, 85% of American companies use their philanthropy as a key strategy for attracting and retaining employees, and the bigger the company, the more likely they are to do this. The 2000 Cone/Roper Executive Study, published September, reflects the views of over 200 marketing, foundation and corporate giving directors. Other findings are that:
• employees are the most important stakeholder group to consult when planning community initiatives;
• financial services companies are more likely to use cause-related marketing and philanthropy as recruitment and retention tools than manufacturing companies, and are also more likely to use volunteering as a strategic way of developing their programmes;
• more than two-thirds of companies plan to increase their commitment to social issues in the next year.
Taken at face value, these findings are encouraging for community affairs managers seeking a business case. But they suffer the same huge draw- back as cause-related marketing surveys – when stopped in the street, how could anyone admit the opposite “I prefer working for/buying from a company which destroys the environment, mistreats its workers and has no values”. Indeed, worse than CRM surveys (where consumers generally can chose an alternative product), just how many of us have the luxury of choosing on values grounds between two or more well-paid, career enhancing job offers?
That said, CSR is very important for some individuals and, at the margin, may be the key to attracting or retaining niche groups of employees. The booming IT sector is a case in point. Young people and women with families may be others. (See the last edition of Briefing for a report on an ongoing study of these issues.) In short, let’s not get carried away. The case for CSR is stronger for not overstating what it can do for the business. Focus the effort, perform beyond expectations, measure the results – and then claim the credit (plus a budget increase).
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