How can you boost employee performance and engagement in a meaningful way? Find the intersection between your company interests and employee passions. We offer 5 tips grounded in real-world examples for using your corporate responsibility program to share values and passions with employees. Because doing good is good for business, from the inside out.

1. 5 steps to building employee engagement
through your corporate responsibility program
Shared values
Shared passion

2. In a customer-focused business culture,
employee
engagement
is usually not a high priority.

3. of U.S. workers say they
are engaged in their work.
ONLY

4. of people are always willing to go the
extra mile in order to do their jobs well.
ONLY
39%

5. of people say they get excited
thinking about new ways to do
their jobs more effectively.
ONLY
17%

6. But when people are engaged,
great things
can happen.

7. Companies that successfully engage their
employees and customers experience a
in performance-related business outcomes
compared with organizations that do neither.

8. Sounds too good
to be true, right?
But with the right strategy and a slight shift in
thinking, you’ll be on your way in no time.

9. Find the intersection
between your company
interests and your
employee passions.
You can start by looking at
your corporate responsibility
(CR) program.
Here’s the secret.

10. CR has become the next frontier for employee
engagement because it gives employees a
reason to share (and live!) the values
of your organization.

11. Make your CR program more than just
composting and recycling at the office.
Integrate it with the
values and lifestyles
of your employees.

12. So if you have people who are big sports fans, hikers
or gardeners, find a way to support youth athletics,
forest preservation or urban farming.

13. Ready to
get started?
[INSERT DRUM ROLL]
Here are the 5 steps to building employee
engagement through your CR program.

14. Step #1: Listen to your employees
Want to know what truly motivates
your employees? Give them outlets
to express themselves and share
their stories via social media, blogs
and forums. Listen, absorb and
keep the conversation going.

15. Step #2: Get organized
Perform the same kind of research
on your employees that you do on
your customers. Segment them
by interest, and create personas.
Once you understand what makes
them tick, you can tailor your CR
program to them.

16. Step #3: Roll them out
Create and launch new
initiatives that support both
your company’s CR goals and
your employees’ interests.

17. Step #4: Share the love
Let employees participate in the
conversation by giving them ways
to shape and share your company
story. Report on progress so
employees can see that their
actions make a difference.

18. Step #5: Measure and adjust
Once a program has been
established, solicit feedback from
your employees and customers
and keep that loop going.

19. If you need more convincing that CR can be
an employee engagement game changer,
here are 5 success
stories that prove it.

20. In 2014, HP gave every employee in the company $25 to
loan to an aspiring business owner in a poor or underserved
community. Nearly 100,000 employees have loaned more
than $2.8 million since the program’s launch. But the real
news is the kind of notes employees have left on the
program’s message board: “I am so proud to be
part of something great! And thank you, HP,
for allowing me the opportunity to do so.”

21. As part of its Water<Less™ campaign, Levi’s challenged
employees to wear the same pair of unwashed jeans for a
week. Employees were encouraged to upload new photos
to Instagram and Flickr. Each image triggered a donation to
water.org from Levi’s. By day five, more than 5,000 images
had been shared. The campaign eventually provided clean
drinking water for life for some 4,100 people.

22. In the summer of 2013, 3M held a “sustainability power
pitch” contest across the company. Employees were
challenged to pitch an idea for a sustainable product to
a panel of judges and employees. Winners received more
than a pat on the back: They received a research grant to
bring the product to life.

23. In 1993, Patagonia had an inspired idea—give every
employee up to two months of paid leave to volunteer
for the environmental nonprofit of their choice. This gives
employees a chance to share their expertise with the
community and then return to work with a greater sense
of shared values and commitment.

24. As part of an ambitious plan to double the company
size while halving their environmental footprint,
Unilever Australia appointed all its employees “Head
of Sustainability”—complete with business cards. This
campaign gives the employees a feeling of ownership,
but also a sense of accountability to carry out the
company CR mission.

25. As you can see, CR programs have potential to
do more than just build goodwill with consumers.
They can spur employee engagement, boost
brand equity and fuel innovation.
Doing good is
good for business.

26. If you can get people to
believe in your organization
and know that you have their
personal interests at heart,
they’ll be fired up about
coming to work every day.
And this is good for everyone.
The takeaway?

27. Get fired up!
See AHA! CEO, Betsy Henning, share her
perspective on employee engagement.
Watch the video now