Jan. 13, 2023
The last few years we’ve seen drastic changes at home and at work. Leadership and staff changes, stress, and the adoption of new policies may have left you feeling scattered and lost.
Yet the new year brings an opportunity to start fresh. If one of your goals in 2023 is to establish a more engaged and stable staff at work or develop a new approach to leadership, you’re in the right place. With a few changes now, you can bring new focus to your work in 2023 and beyond. You can increase engagement, job satisfaction, and develop new leadership with an approach that also impacts your community.
Aloha United Way can help you translate intention into action this year and create meaningful change at your company, in your career, and here at home. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Reflection
Depending on the nature of your business, you may have spent the last few years in virtual meetings or simply carried on in-person with a bit more protective equipment in place. Nevertheless, things have changed.
If you experienced high turnover and poor retention, it’s time to reflect on the situation. Before taking any drastic actions, it may be time for an identity audit. Consider sending a staff survey. Here are a few sample questions to get you started:
- Do you understand your role at the company?
- On a scale of 1-10, how transparent are we?
- Are there ways we can improve communication at our organization?
Give staff a 1-2 week deadline to provide thoughtful, anonymous responses. Perhaps throw in a small incentive, like a gift card, to one lucky respondent. You can raffle names using a free online simulator during an upcoming team meeting.
When everyone has submitted their survey, rank the responses and consolidate the information into a central document or spreadsheet. Based on their answers, what went well? Are there ways to expand on those areas? What could have gone better? After spending ample time reviewing and identifying insights, set a meeting with leadership to discuss takeaways and potential opportunities.
Step 2: Engagement
Engaged employees experience positive feelings about the work that they do and their role in the company. Engaged employees are easier to retain. If your reflection sessions identified problems with retention and engagement, this should be an area of focus. Here are a few ideas:
- Provide opportunities for staff to develop greater bonds with one another – like a group volunteer day, events, and even brainstorming sessions for thinking up fun activities.
- Consider an employee recognition program. Give away a parking space or lunch with a member of the leadership team. Even a simple thank-you card goes a long way.
- Creating a path for growth by providing staff the opportunity to list areas for professional growth. Record, identify, and review later in the year.
- Explain how your work makes a positive impact on our community. Develop a corporate social responsibility plan and communicate what that plan is from hire to retire.
Step 3: Plan
Increasing employee morale, satisfaction, and engagement can be accomplished through reflection, planning, and adoption of a corporate social responsibility plan. Gen Z is rapidly entering the workforce and this generation brings a desire for good corporate citizenship, meaningful work, and opportunities for professional growth. Communicating your corporate social responsibility plan is key to retaining young employees who are quickly becoming the majority.
An annual AUW Workplace Giving Campaign can play a vital role in your corporate social responsibility and engagement strategy. Not only will a campaign build bonds among staff, it provides leadership opportunities for committee members and coordinators. Skill development, pride, and a visible impact on our community make workplace giving campaigns an essential and effective tool to bring new focus to your company. Your brand, your community, your employees will benefit.
Aloha United Way fundraising staff work with thousands of local companies to develop corporate social responsibility strategies and workplace giving campaigns each year. If you’re ready for a new focus, contact us. Cheers to a new year, new engagement, and new relationships.
Interested in learning more from a few Fundraising Pros? Meet four outstanding workplace supporters who run engaging, effective giving campaigns with their teams: