Low Employee Engagement? Inspire Employees With a Culture of Good
Ryan McCarty
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowWhen they’re not eating avocado toast, or sending snaps to friends, Millennials are quickly infiltrating America’s workforce. In fact, they’re quickly overtaking baby boomers. Don’t believe me? Fifty million Millennials are being hired between now and 2025.
Despite their prevalence, Millennials remain an enigma for so many organization’s managers, who simply lack experience in cultivating the growth of this demographic. What is an effective management style for millennial employees? What are the best ways to advance them for success within a company? Today’s top executives can’t fully grasp the answers to these questions.
Want to attract and retain Millennials while providing innumerable results for your organization? Below are two tips which describe how to execute a Culture of Good strategy to further millennial engagement.
1. Promote a local cause
Millennials are not only looking for autonomy in their workplace, they’re also desiring to do good that aligns with their values. Rather than a CEO simply writing a check to charity, implementing a Culture of Good gives the resource to the employees to do good with. It’s an authentic movement that defines the culture of the company they work for and provides them with consistent means to connect their everyday work with meaning.
Millennials connect strongly with issues that impact their local community and appreciate when their work aligns with giving back. A 2017 study by Deloitte confirmed this, noting that this younger demographic felt a strong sense of meaning when engaging with volunteer efforts locally. This feeling only deepened when employers encouraged these initiatives.
Why chose local? Giving back in your own backyard can instill favorable public opinion, establishing a reputation in your local neighborhood as a company that really cares. It’ll certainly build immense brand loyalty for customers and as a bonus, millennial employees can make a difference and feel happier in their positions within the company.
This process begins by picking a local cause, although you should first assess the soul of your company in doing so. What are employees passionate about? Once you make these decisions, conduct thorough research to pick a local philanthropy to align with.
For example, The Cellular Connection (TCC), a Verizon retailer that boasts 800 stores in 38 states, cultivated their own Culture of Good program that started with one simple idea: a backpack giveaway helping children in the communities where their stores are located.
TCC did their research beforehand, understanding that the average individual with children in grades K-12 would spend over $100 on school supplies (according to The National Retail Federation). Compounded by the fact that 20 percent of U.S. children live in poverty, TCC knew they needed a way to aid families. Now, TCC supports local children by donating over 100,000 backpacks full of school supplies annually.
2. Focus on authenticity in your business
Millennials can quickly spot an organization that seems insincere.
There are executives across the country who believe their tradition for signing huge checks quantifies as a meaningful “give-back” program, falsely assuming this will help court favor with new and returning customers. It simply doesn’t work.
Companies should engage employees and give back through a more creative avenue. This will inspire other companies to follow suit and build their culture around a cause that connects to their employees and customers. Customers will begin to take notice.
Cultivate a business full of individuals who dedicate their time, effort and attention tirelessly to charitable endeavors because they understand it’s the right thing to do. It showcases to millennial employees that your organization cares more than just about their profits, and encourages engagement and retention.
By connecting performance to a higher purpose, a Culture of Good helps organizations inspire employees, ignite positive change in the world and impact their bottom lines.
Don’t delay – start a Culture of Good today.
Ryan McCarty is the co-founder of Culture of Good, Inc.