Social Action at Work

We've Moved

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars Ellis, Ph.D.) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 22:37:00 +0000

Please visit us at our new location, socialactionatwork.wordpress.com!

Medtronic, Inc.: Mission in Motion - Project 6

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 05:21:00 +0000

“ Nothing I can say about Medtronic today makes me happier or more optimistic about the future than the fact that the Mission is deeply embedded as a permanent part of the culture.”

--Earl Bakken, Co-Founder and First CEO of Medtronic (1957-1974)

Medtronic, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, produces medical technologies that treat neurological and musculoskeletal conditions, diabetes, and cardiac and vascular diseases. Operating in over 140 countries, the company employees almost 50,000 individuals. In 2013, Medtronic had $16.6 billion in revenue and $3.5 billion in net earnings.

At a 1960 board meeting, Bakken first outlined the ideas that would later form Medtronic's mission. I can't help but think that Bakken was influenced by Johnson & Johnson's famous credo, written in 1943. (For an interesting analysis of crafting meaningful missions, I suggest reading "4 Rules to Craft a Mission Statement that Shapes Corporate Culture" from Fast Company.)

Medtronic Mission Statement
from A Legacy of Improving Lives: Our History

Today, Medtronic's corporate social responsibility initiatives are inspired by the sixth tenet of the mission: to maintain good citizenship as a company. To achieve their mission, Medtronic has identified five strategic pillars of their CSR program: addressing chronic disease, a collaborative culture of innovation, responsibility in the marketplace, progressive environmental stewardship, and total employee engagement. These five pillars flow from the mission and reflect the core competencies of the company. Through the Medtronic Foundation, the company donated $64.6 million in cash and in-kind donations.

In terms of environmental stewardship, Medtronic conducted an initial test of equipment recycling. They receive 1700 kilograms of material out of which $53,000 of precious metals were recovered. If they had disposed of the equipment, they would have incurred $21,000 in hazardous material fees. Because the test was so successful, Medtronic is now using the recycling protocol on all eligible equipment. Over the next ten years, they expect to generate $700,000. The program also reduces demand for raw material since the recovered precious metals can be used instead of virgin material.

To help understand diabetes in India, the company utilized a skills-based employee volunteer program. This particular program, a part of the non-communicable diseases initiative, included a small number of employees, but because of its success, Medtronic created a Global Innovation Fellows program to which any employee can apply. A Disater Relief Program provides five paid days of leave each year so that employees can utilize their skills and abilities to assist in areas hit by natural disasters. Additionally, employees can participate in an employee volunteer program that awards a $500 grant to a charity for every 25 hours of employee service. It appears that employees can select the organization where they will volunteer while a separate initiative, Mission in Motion (MiM), organizes team volunteer events and giving drives. A local employee-led team coordinates MiM activities and selected groups and individuals are honored at an annual MiM award ceremony. Metronic also has a generous program to match employees' charitable contributions up to $50,000. A new software implemented in January 2012 aids these activities by allowing employees to track their volunteer hours, invite co-workers to participate, research charities, and learn about MiM events.

Over 6,500 employees across the globe are expected to participate in Medtronic's month of service called Project 6. Associates will work at local parks, assist at homeless shelters, or join one of the many activities selected by the area's employees. To heighten participation and engage employee's competitive spirit, the company provides a $10,000 grant that is given to a charity selected by the winning Medtronic facility. (Winners are based on the impact and participation rates.) Vice-President of Corporate Philanthropy Jacob A. Gayle lauded the company's commitment to citizenship, "We are fortunate to work at a company where social impact and giving back are deeply entrenched in our Mission. We have been privileged to partner with hundreds of nonprofits worldwide to help meet the needs of our local communities.” Last year's Project 6 highlights are in this Medtronic Mission in Motion: Project 6 video. Some associates posted photographs to twitter with #project6, but I also found many other items labeled with the same hashtag.

The range of CSR activities are captured in the company's Corporate Citizenship Update which follows the GRI G3 Guidelines. Medtronic's CSR activities, then, seem to take the following shape:

I've focused on the Total Employee Engagement initiatives, including but not limited to Mission in Motion: Project 6, employee giving, and the Disaster Relief Program. At the same time, the skill-based volunteering done in India is part of the Global NCD program and also relates to the leadership in addressing chronic disease as well as employee engagement.

A strength of the CSR program is the clear tie to the mission and culture of the organization. What might be useful is a more deliberate mapping of the individual activities as they relate to the five strategic CSR areas as well as the functional areas or divisions of the company. As an outsider, the amount and range of CSR initiatives appear almost overwhelming. I would be very interested in hearing the perspective of someone in the corporate citizenship office or an employee of the company for and internal perspective. The new volunteer management software encourages engagement (especially if the software is informed by trends in gamification), and that could be supported by a more conscious effort to share photographs and reflections on twitter or other social media sites.

It must be a challenge to coordinate the CSR activities for over 140 countries as well. Meditronic has decentralized decision-making with the Mission in Motion network and local control over Project 6 activities. The competition among facilities, though, allows connection among the different regions. The annual award ceremony can also promote a sense of belonging across units and countries. No doubt the new Global Innovation Fellows program will further enhance cohesiveness as employees experience new cultures and situations.

I would have predicted that Medtronic would experience increased employee commitment and decreased voluntary turnover. Reported turnover rates indicate a decrease over time until an uptick in FY2012 which had a turnover rate of 17%. The 2013 turnover rate, while still higher than FY2011, was down to 11%. Employee engagement survey data indicates that Medtronic employees rate the company higher than its benchmark. These statistics can't be attributed exclusively to the company's CSR programs, but they certainly play a role in keeping employees engaged and fulfilled.

Yokohama Provides Funds for Employee Volunteers

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 13:00:00 +0000

2011 Tōhoku earthquake damage and effects in Ishinomaki, Miyagi.
Photo by Akira Kouchiyama, Save the Children Canada
Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Based in Japan, the Yokohama Rubber Company produces tires, wheels, industrial supplies, and sporting equipment (including golf clubs!).

The company's volunteers are undertaking a number of volunteer projects in their region, many focusing on the needs still remaining after the 2011 tsunami. Between October 2011 and February 2012, 60 Yokohama employees supported disaster recovery efforts, and the company provided in-kind donations. Since then, employees have continued their support by providing both monetary donations and labor for restoration work.

The recently announced efforts include tree planting to support the green belt as well as other beautification projects and possibly events contributing to child well-being and elder care. As I understand the funding structure in the United States, employee volunteer activities are paid through a separate CSR budget or funds come out of marketing or human resources. Yokohama's employee volunteer activities are unusual in that they are being funded by an anonymous donation of more than $49,000. I am so curious! Where the funds provided by a company insider who wanted to influence or promote employee volunteerism? Or, if from citizens or the government, why donate to a corporation instead of an NGO?

Yokohama Tires
Photo by Tino Rossini
Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

This is the first time I've profiled a Japanese company, and it was fascinating to browse their dedicated corporate social responsibility (CSR) website. To me, it has a bit of a different feel than CSR websites generated by Western companies. One difference is the amount exposition on the site which I am initially attributing to Japan being a high-text culture. The content of the writing feels different, too.

I found the story about Yokohama's employee volunteers on TireBusiness.Com, which sent me to the company website to find out more. Despite the extensive material on the CSR website, I found only brief mentions of employees' involvement in the Forever Forest project, and nothing about these recent volunteer activities which is interesting in terms of how these events are conceptualized and publicized versus in the United States.

Regardless, these efforts help Yokohama Rubber Company achieve its mission:

Dow Corning Citizen Corps: International Impact

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars Ellis, Ph.D.) — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 00:14:00 +0000

Dow Corning offers employees a number of employee volunteer programs in their key areas of education, community vitality, and outreach. However, if I were an employee of Dow Corning, I'd want to join the Dow Corning Citizen Service Corps. In this program, employees commit to a four-week service project in which they provide skills-based volunteering in developing countries.

The first trip, conducted as a pilot, garnered 100 applications from employees out of which 10 were selected to travel to India in 2010 for a four week assignment. A second cohort worked in Bangalore. Some tweets about the Citizen Service Corps are indexed under #DCServiceCorps. There is reference to a blog for participants, but it is password protected.

Because the Dow Corning employees spent a month immersed in the local culture, they were able to experience a developing country and assist its citizens. Each employee was assigned to a particular project, and the employees provided expertise and assistance to the community partners. Employees brought back to Dow Corning a better sense of the opportunities and challenges for the company at the bottom of the pyramid. Laura Asiala, Director of Corporate Citizenship, noted that the company is exploring at least 15 business opportunities derived from the experiences of DC Citizen Corps volunteers. Upon her return, one employee remarked that the experience made her career more meaningful. A study commissioned by DC and conducted by a Harvard Business School Professor, revealed that alumni of the program were less like to turnover. My biggest question is why DC hasn't sent more cohorts.

Pyxera, founder of the Center of Excellence for International Volunteering manages international skills-based volunteering programs to handle the administrative details that companies may not have the expertise or desire to handle. IBM, a founding partner, regularly sends teams of employees through its Corporate Service Corps program. Patagonia offers a sabbatical program, just as exciting for its employees, but the placements are not always international, and they are not team-based.

Whether domestic or international, these longer-term volunteer placements provide numerous benefits to the employee, the host community, and the company. If your business strategy relates to development, selecting such an EVP may provide multiple gains above the program's expense.

References

Kanani, Rahim (2012, July 17). "IBM Deploys Talent, Technology and Innovation for Global Social Progress," Forbes.
Tergeson, Anne (2012, January 9). "Doing good to do well," Wall Street Journal.

Work Colorful, if not Happy

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars Ellis, Ph.D.) — Tue, 20 May 2014 12:00:00 +0000

While browsing Pinterest, I saw a pin of an office space with #workhappy in the caption. Because I hypothesize that the meaning and happiness that derives from social action at work motivates employees to participate and serves as a mediating mechanism for outcomes such as commitment, reduced turnover, and citizenship behaviors, I decided to see where #workhappy originated and how it was being used in social media. As I was expecting, a few twitter posts pertained to job satisfaction and happiness in the workplace, linking to articles such as, "Is There One Simple Formula to Career Happiness?" by Pete Cashmore or "Five Simple Ways to Harness the Power of Happiness at Work" by Harvey Detuschenforf. However, many of the posts tagged with #workhappy related to products made by the office supply company Poppin which launched in 2012.
The founders of the company conceived of it as a low-cost, high variety option for office supplies which are so often dull, lacking in personality and color. They cite research noting that employees who choose their work environment tend to be more productive. The online website offers a tool that helps customers customize their desks and provides options for bulk orders of personalized products for business customers. If you thought the staplers, rulers, and pens weren't fun enough as is, Poppin provides free downloads for accessorizing the supplies.

On their Pinterest board, Poppin posted a photo of the pens and cups personalized for LinkedIn. I was particularly struck with the caption that promotes branded products for providing cohesion. When I first saw it, I thought it referred to group cohesion, although now it seems like it might mean cohesion of decor. I actually think it could provide both, but somehow I find it a little sad that a pen cup with a company logo could make employees happier and more connected.

All of these products and accessories are, no question, fun and amusing. I myself would love to obtain a purple stapler and personalize it with a pirate hat and mustache. But does all this fun make us happy? If we consider a solid explanation of happiness such as the one provided by Sonja Lyubomirsky in her book, The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want: happiness is “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” I fear that #workhappy will make employees think that cool office supplies will lead to satisfaction or even worse that supervisors will substitute branded objects for the hard work of leadership.

I don't want to suggest that a fun and personal work environment is unimportant. I only want to caution organizations and remind them that one of the greatest sources of happiness is social connection. As much as I would love a purple stapler, I know that relationships are more important. What do you think? Please weigh in in the comment section.

You might also be interested in reading Poppin's core values which have some resemblance to Zappos' core values, perhaps not so surprising since the two companies likely are targeting the same customers. Happiness didn't make the list.

Campbell Soup: Make a Difference Week

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Fri, 16 May 2014 18:30:00 +0000

“Campbell’s most inspiring achievements are not measured in dollars, but in the spirit of our employees who volunteer thousands of hours to build and sustain healthy communities. From the C-suite to the plant floor, Campbell’s people are motivated to enhance the quality of life in the areas where we live and work, starting right here in Camden.”--Denise Morrison, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company celebrates Make a Difference Week April 4 through 11. (The event started as a day-long celebration, but seven years ago, when more employees wanted to volunteer, the company expanded it to a full week.) Over 3,000 employees across the United States are expected to participate in one of the 70 projects planned for the week. Planting trees at a local school, reading to children, sorting and boxing food for food banks, building raised vegetable gardens, and preparing backpacks full of food for children who might not have anything to eat during the weekend are some of the activities planned for the eager volunteers. The company, its employees, and even some partner organizations are tweeting about Make a Difference Week using #CampbellMADW.

CEO Morrison told reporter Mark Abrams, "“We believe that employee engagement is really important and drives better performance, and so if we can get our people engaged in the community, they realize that you can make a profit and make a difference.”

Make a Difference Week is only one aspect to the portfolio of CSR initiatives sponsored by the company. Campbell's CSR activities stem from a reflective and thorough CSR philosophy with four strategic focus areas:

Nourishing Our Planet: Environmental stewardship
Nourishing Our Consumers: Our interactions with customers and consumers
Nourishing Our Neighbors: Community service
Nourishing Our Employees: Building a high-performance workplace

(Using "nourishing" is a nice reflection of their core products and industry. Interestingly, too, the names are not tied to issue areas but to key stakeholder groups.) Each focus area is clearly connected to strategic goals with relevant and clear metrics. The Global Reporting Guidelines inform Campbell's reporting which is available for interested parties to download. The Sustainability/Community Affairs team maintains a separate twitter account.

Campbell's efforts in their hometown, Camden, New Jersey, may be particularly critical since a range of social and economic problems bedevil the city, which is the poorest in America according to 2011 census data. Additionally, it has the highest crime rate among cities in the United States. Children in Camden are more likely to live in poverty than those in surrounding cities, and only 49% of students graduate high school.

To revitalize their hometown, Campbell's created the Healthy Communities program. Camden is a signature town for the program, and Campell's has funded neighborhood improvements and a community soup kitchen as they provide nutrition education, advocate and assist in food access and physical education, and maintain cooperation with community stakeholders.

Of particular note, Campbell Soup Company also cultivates skill-based employee volunteerism. In the 2013 fiscal year, skills-based volunteering accounted for 20% of total volunteer hours, allowing Human Resource professionals to assist community members in writing resumes and preparing for interviews, while chefs and nutritionists provided healthy cooking and nutrition demonstrations for young people, and members of the Marketing group provided local non-profit organizations assistance with marketing and development plans.

Whether traditional or skills-based volunteerism, the Campell Soup Foundation provides eligible non-profit organizations with a $500 grant for every 25 volunteer hours contributed by an employee through the "Dollars for Doers" program. Employees also participate in design teams that develop innovative products to respond to issues related to hunger. These include the produce-to-donate products Just Peachy (a salsa sold to benefit the Food Bank of South Jersey), Super Smoothie (donated to children in need through non-profit partner organizations), and Nourish (a hearty, nutritious meal in a can donated to Food Bank Canada and Free the Children).

Based on their exemplary CSR activities and strong corporate ethics, for the fifth year, Campbell Soup Company has been recognized by Corporate Responsibility Magazine as a top corporate citizen. In 2010, Campbell Soup Company received the Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence from the Points of Light Foundation, which highlighted the company's skills-based volunteer efforts and the company's work in hunger relief efforts. Then-CEO Douglas R. Conant commented, "We deeply appreciate this award, as it recognizes the efforts and dedication of Campbell employees who freely give of their time and share their expertise to help others. Our company is absolutely committed to making a difference in the communities in which we operate and to nourishing peoples' lives everywhere, every day."

Whenever I have my students analyze a company, the final question usually requires them to provide recommendations for improvement. I remind them that even companies that perform very well can always do something to improve. I myself have to turn a very critical eye to find areas for improvement. One suggestion might be to include all of the performance metrics in a single location, since some of the data distributed across the website isn't included in the formal CSR report. Though this might be available through a private employee volunteer portal, more information about employees' roles in CSR and a chance to interact with others could enhance employee engagement. Overall, Campbell's CSR program, as well as its sustainability initiatives and reporting, exemplify current best practices in the field. Their CSR portal provides valuable information about the content and communication of CSR activities that serve as a model for other corporations.

Employee Grassroots Water Conservation Campaign at PG&E

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Fri, 09 May 2014 17:33:00 +0000

For the first time since its inception in 1999, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that the entirety of the state of California is experiencing a drought. The state government has initiated a public relations campaign to increase the public's conservation efforts, while funding is being directed to the most affected communities. Additional firefighters have been hired in light of the heightened threat of wildfires, and the state, working with local governments, is exploring ways to improve the water storage and treatment infrastructure to maximize water conservation.

In light of the water crisis facing California, a grassroots employee group at PG&E launched a Water Wise Pledge Campaign in which the utility's employees are encouraged to make a commitment to conserve water both at home and in the workplace as well as to specify the specific steps they will take to reduce their water use. While the pledge campaign and its kickoff event were organized by the Grassroots Green Network (GGN), top management affirmed their support of the group's efforts.

Owen Goldstrom, a PG&E senior business analyst and president of the GGN expressed his motivation for involvement, “Environmental leadership is a part of our culture at PG&E, and our employees have a track record of stepping up to address issues when we need them. If we can engage our co-workers around the water crisis, our collective efforts to reduce water use will make a significant impact. This is grassroots in action and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Employees take the Water Wise Pledge.

Screenshot of Water Wise Pledge Commitments

PG&E's Water Wise Campaign is particularly interesting to me because it is a fabulous example of a relatively infrequent social action at work (SAW) in which one or more employees utilizes the opportunities found in an organization to enact positive social change. Companies often embark on social marketing campaigns aimed at customers, but its rare (or less publicized) for employees within an organization to promote social change among their peers.

These types of initiatives might be uncommon because social marketing campaigns can be challenging to implement perhaps due to the inertia and resistance to changing long-term behavior as well as asking people to change a behavior in order to benefit society in general. Other reasons behind the infrequency of these initiatives could include employees' desire to separate work and home lives or because of the myriad conceptions of positive social change, which could potentially lead to conflict.

Whether you live in a state plagued by drought, or if you are fortunate to live in an area with abundant water sources, you can make efforts to responsibly utilize water. The Water, Use It Wisely campaign delineates almost 200 ways to conserve water. Which ones will you commit to?

References

Currents blog post
Social Marketing Book List (Trade Books)
Social Marketing: Influencing Behavior for Good by Nancy R. Lee and Philip Kotler (Textbook)

EVP at Aramark

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Mon, 05 May 2014 22:33:00 +0000

"Delivering experiences that enrich and nourish lives is who we are and what we do. For ARAMARK, it's about making life better for those who matter to us most – our employees, our customers, clients, and communities. We're in the people business and we bring our unique skills and culture of service to our work and to our communities,"--Bev Dribin, Vice President, Community Relations

ARAMARK, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, provides uniforms, food, and facilities management to organizations across diverse industries including universities, health facilities, cultural attractions, correctional institutions, and conference and conventions centers. The company consistently receives honors such as listing on the "World's Most Admired Companies" by Fortune Magazine and most ethical company by Ethisphere Institue.

As part of their overarching CSR strategy which includes the focus areas employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement, employee volunteerism and philanthropy are administered under the ARAMARK Building Community (ABC) program. Regional STAR teams adopt community centers to help them build capacity. Other employee volunteers with expertise in human resources offer youth and adults provide career guidance. Given the large percentage of the business devoted to food services, organizing health and wellness education corresponds to one of the company's core competencies. Holding drives to collect basic necessities such as food, clothing, and toys represents another pillar of ABC. Employees can donate to non-profit organizations. In 2009, Aramark was recognized as a finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizenship Award.

This year, ARAMARK celebrated its first Global Volunteer Day on March 19. Across the globe. Aramark associates participated in activities to strengthen their communities. Employees in India worked with Mutally Beneficial Activities Foundation, a group that helps increase the self-esteem of disabled children. UK volunteers provided nutrition and healthy cooking education. Many other groups worked at food pantries, helped beautiful community centers, made healthy food packs, and painted murals. ABC 6 in Philadelphia covered the local Global Volunteer Day events at the Kensington Community Center.

ARAMARK volunteers at Atlanta Mission's My Sister's House

ARAMARK dietitian provides education about healthy food choices

ARAMARK volunteers from Ingalls Memorial Hospital prepared over 400 meals for those in need.

ARAMARK provides some explanation of the motivation behind their extensive employee volunteerism:

"Volunteerism can create stronger connections with employees. People want to work for responsible companies and to feel that they are part of a larger social effort. A focus on services can strengthen understanding of company values and history and also create relationships with co-workers and communities,"--ARAMARK Website

ARAMARK's employee volunteerism is also notable for its strategic and skill-based focus, whereby dieticians working for ARAMARK provide education about healthy eating, cooks provide cooking demonstration, human resource specialists provide career counseling and so on. Although not all volunteer events meet this criterion, all the events do fall under one of the four CSR focus areas that reflect the business's core competencies. Employees at all levels are encouraged to participate, not just on the Global Volunteer Day, but throughout the year. In conjunction with other employee awards, the company recognizes an Outstanding Employee Volunteer.

I was unable to find a blog or twitter account that promoted ARAMARK's CSR and linked it to the company's mission and strategic goals (though there is a Facebook page). This information might be on an internal network. Besides information for 2009, I couldn't find statistics about the impact of the community activities, though I did find that Aramark uses the E nablon platform to track its CSR activities. It's very possible my searches overlooked this, but I couldn't find a CSR report for the firm, either. Keeping this information internal might be deliberate. Some companies don't want to advertise their CSR activities too extensively for fear of accusations of greenwashing or profit-motives. At the same time, it's information that would be interesting for clients, potential clients, employees, applicants, and investors.

ARAMARK published an extensive toolkit for employees regarding the 2014 Global Volunteer Day which can provide insights and ideas for companies considering similar events.

PG&E: Commitment to California

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 15:34:00 +0000

“For PG&E, giving back to our communities is really about caring for our customers and for the future of California. We apply the expertise we've gained over our 100 year history of serving Californians to provide support and opportunity for our neighbors who need it most."

Ezra Garrett

PG&E Vice President of Community Relations and Chief Sustainability Officer

PG&E employees and volunteers pose outside of Bakersfield City Hall after planting flowers (April 2013).

To celebrate National Volunteer Month (NVM), PG&E announced that they aimed to contribute 50,000 employee volunteer hours to advance their three signature programs: education, the environment, and economic and community vitality. This tops the 48,000 employee volunteer hours logged in 2013.

NVM corresponds to PG&E's Month of Service. During April, the company organized over 100 activities across Northern California, including food distribution, neighborhood emergency training, and installation of solar panels on Habitat for Humanity homes. Employee volunteers will also work on clean-up and restoration projects at selected California State Parks, marking the 13th year of partnership with the California State Park Foundation.

Employee volunteer planting native plants atMontaña de Oro State Park

The kick-off activity for the company's second Month of Service had employee volunteers help prepare and service meals at The Mission at Kern County, a homeless shelter in Bakersfield. Other groups made no-sew blankets for babies in homeless shelters across the San Francisco Valley.

Addressing a group of volunteers assembled to help clean-up and beautify Bakersfield's downtown, Mayor Harvey Hall remarked, “The Power of Blue is very evident." After removing litter, painting a mural as well as traffic control boxes, PG&E employees were recognized as Volunteer Group of the Year.

“I have fun when I do it. I get to meet people and really connect with the community,” affirmed Yolanda Montejano PG&E Contact Center Operations Safety Lead, of the Fresno division. Rich Garcia, energy solutions and service manager for the Yosemite division, noted, “[I]t gives you a sense of pride to know that PG&E is part of the community and is making a difference.”

Affirming the importance of the Month of Service, Tony Earley, PG&E’s chairman, CEO and president, was present for some events and even literally got his hands dirty at a cleanup event in Golden Gate Park. Information reporting the events was included on the company blog, Currents. I imagine that internal communications, and possibly signs, tables, or other special events promoted Month of Service activities.

Employee volunteerism, during the Month of Service and throughout the year, is only one aspect of PG&E's community contributions. Grants are given through the PG&E Foundation to organizations impacting PG&E's three signature areas. Mentors for New Academy Schools commit eight months to support students. New Academy Schools also receive funding for equipment and classroom enhancements.With the American Red Cross, PG&E supports the Ready Neighborhood initiative to prepare communities for natural disasters and emergencies. Some customers experiencing unexpected finacial hardship can be eligible for a one-time energy credit through REACH.

Best practices of PG&E's community activities include:

targeted signature areas related to the company's mission and core competencies
top management commitment
strong communication about employee participation

These are three characteristics that can benefit any company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. PG&E's already strong CSR might be enhanced by providing employees with more opporutnities for skills-based volunteering.

On a side note, when I was researching this blog entry, I looked at the PG&E Foundation Board of Directors and was taken aback. Is there anything you notice about them that might be problematic?

PG&E Press Release
2014 Month of Service Blog Entries

Starbucks Month of Service Joins Partners and Customers in an Extra Shot of Good

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 22:35:00 +0000

Like many other companies who take advantage of National Volunteer Week, Starbucks celebrated a Global Month of Service during April. They are not only mobilizing their partners (employees) to participate in community events, they are partnering with other business such as Fidelity Investments and Alaska Airlines. They also invite customers to participate in the estimated 2,000 projects planned for 55 countries across the world. Projects include providing job search assistance and hygiene kits to individuals in need (Seattle, Washington), participate in outdoor restoration projects (Atlanta, Georgia), organizing art supply drives for Harry Van Arsdale Educational Complex students (New York, NY), helping at charity walks, and numerous other local events.

Announcing the initiative, Blair Taylor, chief community officer and executive vice president of Partner Resources at Starbucks, remarked, “Since Starbucks opened its doors more than four decades ago, we have always set out to be a different kind of company. Our hope is that through service, individuals, businesses and others will be inspired to come together to help build stronger communities. It’s a powerful example of how Starbucks is using its global scale for good, inspiring and nurturing the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”

Participants have been encouraged to tweet about their experiences using #extrashotofgood. Utilizing social media to publicize the events as well as to connect events in dispersed geographic locations seems common. Twitter is the most frequently used platform, but Instagram is in play as well.

Community service is a key goal for Starbucks, and in their CSR report, Global Responsibility Report Progress and Goals 2013, they announced a goal of giving 1,000,000 employee (and customer) volunteer hours a year by 2015.

Like most events of this nature, Starbucks' employees seemed to have enjoyed the event based on their contributions to Twitter. IT is likely that the events promoted teamwork and provided networking opportunities that benefited the partners. Since some of the events included other businesses, partners may have been able to network outside their organization and possibly identify areas of potential synergy. Partners would also experience the happiness and meaning that comes from giving.

It is somewhat unusual to have customers involved in employee volunteer events. This variable could moderate the outcomes of employee volunteerism. A positive aspect could be the sense of community building that would come from various stakeholder groups working together. A potential negative consequence could be that the sense of identity and commitment that comes from volunteering with peers in the organization would be diluted. As far as I know, no academic research has been done on this question. I am also very curious how Starbucks will measure customer volunteer hours. These couldn't be collected through an internal employee volunteer management system, so customers would need to manually login (as in sign in on a piece of paper) or Starbucks partners would need to monitor participation. This metric seems like it could be problematic. It's the first time I've seen employee and customer volunteer contributions combined in a CSR report.

Close to Home
My local Starbucks partnered with the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes during the month of service. They displayed promotional material, solicited donations of items, hosted a knit-in, and assembled comfort packages for clients.

My knitting group took part, knitting hats, headbands, and wrist warmers to distribute to the CRC. Starbucks set aside a table for us, and we had a fun time together knitting for the good of the community.

This is one of the hats I made to donate:

As with most coordinating month/week/day of services, local branches are able to select the community non-profit with which to partner. Since many employees have been affected by cancer in their own families or through friends, giving to the Cancer Resource Center was very rewarding for them and appreciated by the center.

(Screenshot from the CRC April Newsletter)

Earth Day at Work

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 15:28:00 +0000

If a company engages in or promotes sustainability activities only on Earth Day, April 22, the organization would legitimately be accused of greenwashing their commitment to the environment. Greenbiz.com, in their article, "The Selling of Earth Day 2009: The Good, the bad, the ugly," notes that many businesses use the event to promote products that may or may not have an environmental benefit. The call to consume may also conflict with some of the tenets of environmentalism: reduce and reuse.

However, if Earth Day celebrations serve an organization's sustainability strategy or reflect its authentic values, the events can become an important ritual or reminder of the sustainability work of the organization.

Kohl's

Sustainability is one of Kohl's corporate social responsibility focus areas. In addition to incorporating principles of sustainability in their operations (detailed in the 2013 Corporate Social Responsibility Report), Kohl's donates to social and environmental non-profit organizations. Starting in 2012, the company gave each corporate employee a reusable cup and installed hydration stations to reduce disposable cup waste. Employees tend three corporate gardens, two of which are adjacent to on-site daycare and are used to teach children about healthy eating and growing their own vegetables. Produce from the third garden is donated to the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force. Green education classes are held regularly to inform and inspire associates about environmentally-friendly practices. Both employees and customers can use Kohl's dedicated sustainability email address with concerns or questions.

In April, the company observes both Earth Month and National Volunteer Week with Kohl's "National Go Green Event." During the event, Kohl's Associates in Action will engage in a number of environmentally-related volunteer activities and the company will donate more than $2 million dollars. Some of the events taking place throughout the country include removing invasive species and planting native trees with Tree Mustakeeters (Los Angeles, CA) to protect wildlife habitat, providing landscaping to Habitant for Humanity homes (Macon, GA), providing construction and clean-up with the Urban Ecology Center (Milwaukee, WI), helping with plant bed maintenance with the Detroit Zoological Society, supporting a family day at the Delaware Children's Museum where toys will be collected for children in need, planting flowers at Butterfly Dreams Farm (a Theraputic Riding Program), cleaning and planting at the Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary, sorting and packing donated items at Children's Specialized Hopsital (NJ), and more.

Timberland

Timberland has a long history of corporate action related to sustainability informed by their environmental philosophy, their Green Standard:

Service is a key value at Timberland, and they promote the value among employees through the Path to Service^™ employee volunteer program, which provides 40 paid hours for volunteer activities to full-time employees and 20 paid hours to part-time associates as well as two annual global days of service (Earth Day and Serv-a-Palooza).

For Earth Day 2013, employees organized over 100 events to promote community service. In China, Timberland employees are working with employees of the Pou Yuen Factory to plant trees and paint a local children's community center. New York employees are working with Concrete Safaris of East Harlem to update their gardens. In Stratham, New Hampshire, over 300 employee volunteers can choose among six different events, from re-greening a local dog park to sewing teddy bears from eco-friendly materials to be donated to children in need.

Anticipating the 2013 Earth Day events, Brianne Wood, Community Service Manager “I am looking forward to a great showing this year and the smiles on everybody’s faces after seeing the work that we’ve accomplished at the end of the day. I’m so grateful that Timberland gives us such a wonderful opportunity for us to give back to our local communities and it is amazing to see how much we can achieve together.”

Both Kohl's and Timberland's Earth Day celebrations highlight the respective company's ongoing commitments to sustainability, and the events reflect authentic values. Without a genuine commitment to sustainability and community service, Earth Day events might backfire. Although Bank of America promotes Earth Day as well as other environmental programs, the Rainforest Action Network has criticized the financial institution for having the third highest rate of investment in the coal industry (Bank.Track.org). If a company is planning for Earth Day but can't back their activities with a history of involvement with and commitment to sustainability, they might better use their resources to develop an environmental philosophy.

Organizations that want to provide service days but might be overwhelmed with initiating a program from the ground up can rely on Timberland's Service Tool-kit to outline key milestones and delineate logistics.

Want more examples of Earth Day activities? Check out this post by Jennifer Hermes.

The Social Responsibility of Corporations Is To....

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 05:31:00 +0000

Milton Friedman (1962, 1970: 33) famously asserted, "There is one and only one social responsibility of business–to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud." His 1970 article in the New York Times Magazine elaborates his rationale, including the misuse of principal's investment capital by the agent and the notion that social responsibility equates to a pseudo-tax of the corporation.

In the past decade or so, though debates about corporate social responsibility (CSR) remain (May, Cheney, & Roper, 2007), most practitioners and academics have moved beyond Friedman's thinking, determining that CSR provides numerous benefits both to the organization and to multiple stakeholders. Job applicants find organizations with CSR programs as more attractive places to work, customers value the community commitment implied by CSR, and CSR initiatives bestow a license to operate in the local community. Some research suggests that CSR programs can provide a financial advantage or a tax reduction. (I won't even mention how CSR can't possibly make up for the externalities involved in industry.) In 2013, India mandated that corporations meeting certain criteria spend 2% of its profits (determined by averaging profits in the past three years) on CSR programs. Even without these incentives or requirements, some executives firmly believe that good ethics demand investment in CSR.

This is not to say that CSR programs give firms leave to perform irresponsibly in other areas or that all CSR programs are created equal. In some cases, companies with a reputation for CSR can pay a penalty in reputation costs when they engage in harmful behavior. If CSR initiative are seen as inauthentic or fail to resonate with the company's strategic mission, values, or core competencies, stakeholders will be suspicious of them. Overall, though, investment in CSR should be viewed as a necessary strategic initiative.

Although companies provide varying levels of detail on public pages, then often like to tout their CSR and environmental programs with extensive information and photographs. I was surprised , when I was researching Amazon's CSR activities for this blog, to find very little on their website relating to community involvement and corporate philanthropy. After some digging, I found a very sparse section on "Amazon in the Community." There, the company summarizes their philosophy on CSR:

At Amazon, if we do our job right, our greatest contribution to the good of society will come from our core business activities: lowering prices, expanding selection, driving convenience, driving frustration-free packaging, creating Kindle, innovating in web services, and other initiatives we'll work hard on in the future.

I couldn't really believe it: this credo seems straight from Friedman! As reported by Slate, complaints about Amazon's penuriousness were published as early as 2007. In 2012, The Seattle Times called Amazon a "virtual no-show in hometown philanthropy." Their article reported, "several current and former Amazon employees said they have wanted to change the company culture to encourage more giving. But colleagues told them not to bother — they'd be better off figuring out how to do good on their own." One employee who asked if he could arrange for a donation to a non-profit directly from his paycheck was informed he would be charged a 6% fee by the payroll provider.

Since these exposés, Amazon seems to have increased its CSR activities. Their community page lists a number of non-profit organizations who have received grants or in-kind donations. Amazon also mentions employee volunteer efforts, but provides no details. Even before Amazon was criticized for their lack of largess, they did use their visibility to increase donations from individuals. After 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese Tsunami, and Hurricane Sandy, Amazon posted notices that allowed their customers to make 1-click donations to the American Red Cross.

More recently, they have introduced Amazon Smile. When customers shop through the smile.amazon.com portal, 0.5% of their purchase total is donated via the AmazonSmile Foundation to a non-profit selected by the customer. (On Huffington Post, Brady Josephson warns how this program might prove disadvantageous to charities.)

Though Amazon has made some positive strides in the past few years, primarily by encouraging giving through customer efforts, as well as through increased donations to non-profit organizations, to meet the minimum expectations of key stakeholders, they need to increase their CSR efforts. Some stakeholders who are dissatisfied with current efforts include employees, vendors, and the local community. Simply by listening to the needs of these groups and determining how they might meet these needs through their core competencies would be a productive starting point. Outlining strategic CSR focus areas can maximize the impact of the CSR initiatives. Employing a corporate social responsibility professional can give CSR a higher profile in the company and give a centralized point for coordination and logistics and offer consistency and better communication.

As both an intrigued observer and Amazon customer, I am hopeful that Amazon will continue to build on the momentum generated by the launch of AmazonSmile.

References

Friedman, M. 1962. Capitalism and freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Friedman, M. 1970. "The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits," The New York Times Magazine: 32-33.

May, S., Cheney, G., & Roper, J. 2007. The debate over corporate social responsibility. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

But I'm Not in the CSR Department!

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:34:00 +0000

Some readers may feel they can't make an impact for good at work because they aren't in their organization's CSR department or their company may not have events in which employees can participate. Even if you are in that position, you can become a social intrapreneur in your company to promote positive social change. Social entrepreneurs are those individuals who create a mission-driven organization, usually a for-profit company, to solve a social or environmental problem. Social intrapreneurs work within the boundaries of an existing for-profit company to solve social or environmental ills. (Gifford Pinchot, founder of the Bainbridge Institute, is credited with coining the term "intrapreneur" - see his Ten Commandments for intrapreneurs here.)

In Forbes Magazine, Joseph Agoada wrote a column, "2014's Most Valuable Employee: The Social I ntraprenuer" with a promise to provide strategies for social intrapreneurs during the upcoming year. Net Impact has published a report, Making Your Impact at Work: A Practical Guide to Changing the World from Inside any Company, that includes steps an employee can take to become a social intrapreneur as well as case studies of successful intrapreneurs. Another toolkit is available through the League of Intrapreneurs, an organization founded to support "corporate changemakers who are working to transform business from the inside out." SustainAbility has produced its own guide, The Social Intrapreneur: A Guide for Corporate Changemakers. These guides and toolkits provide practical, step-by-step plans for tackling an issue about which you are passionate.

Social intrapreneurship may not be a common phrase in corporations, but attention to the phenomenon is growing. The BMW Foundation, created by the famous car manufacturer in 1970, has identified social intrapreneurship as a key focus area. The foundation views social intrapreneurship as a vehicle that benefits employees, companies, and communities. Benefits to companies are explored in a 2013 Guardian article, "How Does a Social Entrapreneur Add Value to a Business?" Author Emma Stewart asserts that social intrapreneurs provide innovative products and services, such as GE's Ecomagination line and Levi's Water
"Superheroes in Business Suits: Why the World Needs Social Intrapraneurs" by Nate Silver discusses the solutions to social challenges that arise when social and environmental change is informed by functional business expertise and supported by corporate networks and resources.

In the case of Levi's Water>Jeans, the corporation benefited through a new, innovative product that meets the needs of consumers who want to have less of an environmental impact. Employees benefit from the sense of meaning and accomplishment from achieving a significant impact in terms of reduced water usage in the production cycle of denim jeans.

Any employee of any business can make a case for a social intrapreneurship project; however, some organizational cultures contribute to the success of social intrapreneurs. Net Impact found that the support and openness of managers provided the best context for social intrapreneurship.

Now that you know you don't have to be in the CSR department to advocate for positive social and environmental change, what passion project will you advance at work?

Brookhaven National Laboratory Gives Back

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 01:30:00 +0000

The Adopt a Platoon organization was formed to support deployed military personnel. Individuals, organizations, and companies who adopt a platoon pledge to sent at least one care package a month along with cards and letters through the adopt-a-platoon program, though AAP also has other campaigns interested parties can join.

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), a research institution funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy, is one organization that participates in the AAP program.

Photo by Brookhaven National Laboratory. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Brookhaven doesn't provide a section on their website about employee volunteer programs, but it does seem that many employees feel called to serve their nation and community. In addition to the AAP initiative, employee volunteers recently provided gifts and gift cards for those in the community who might not otherwise have the resources to celebrate through the Community Youth and Family Services Agency's Adopt-a-Family Program. Tara Shiels of the Lab’s Community Relations Office, who coordinates the Brookhaven Lab donations, remarked, “It was amazing. On collection day, the gifts just kept streaming in to our conference room. It really put me in the holiday spirit.” The lab's press release provides photographs from Brookhaven National Laboratory Adopt-A-Family Activities.

One of the past activities that caught my eye was completed in 2010, when delegates from the lab attended the Federally Employed Women (FEW) annual meeting in New Orleans. Attendees from the lab, along with some spouses, spent two hours making 335 booms filled with natural material like hair for Matter of Trust to help soak up oil from the BP oil spill.

FEW conference attendees from BNL with the pile of 335 booms they made to help clean up the oil in the Gulf.

MaryAnn Maggio, an employee of BNL who had been heartbroken when watching the coverage of the oil spill, decided to arrange the service activity in conjunction with the FEW conference. Maggio reflected on the experience, “It’s about women being passionate and making a difference. I think we made a good showing.”

BNL's community outreach activities show the diverse forms social action at work can take and demonstrate that not all activities need to be coordinated by someone in the CSR or community relations department. Any employee with a passion can marshall an organization's resources - human or otherwise - to address a social issue.

Mazda's Drive for Good Event

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 04:12:00 +0000

This winter, Mazda introduced a Drive4Good campaign. Like Subaru's "Share the Love" event, Mazda is allowing buyers of new Mazdas to select a charity from a list of four national organizations (Saint Jude Children's Hospital, The American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the Mazda Foundation, and selected local organizations.

(Aside: Mazda is missing the animal lover target market with their nationwide list since they haven't selected an animal-related organization, and three of the four organizations are not on the PCRM Humane Seal list of charities that refrain from engaging in or funding animal testing. In fact, this list makes me personally less likely to be interested in Mazda cars.)

A unique aspect of the Drive4Good campaign is that for each test drive taken during November 25, 2013 through January 2, 2014, Mazda pledges an hour of volunteer time by dealers or employees.

To engage consumers, Mazda is promoting the #MazdaDrive4Good hashtag for social media sites. So far, almost $60,000 has been donated and almost 40,000 volunteer hours pledged for 2014. It will be interesting to how having a quota of volunteer hours determined by consumer test drives will change the implications of volunteering. If employees feel pressured to volunteer because of a sales promotion, it will likely create negative feelings and reduced meaningfulness. However, if the volunteer hours were going to be completed anyway, the employees would not feel any additional pressure, though the pledge itself might be hollow. So far, I can't find information on the administration of the program, but I will keep my eye out in 2014 for news.

Partnering with WWF-Pakistan

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 19:01:00 +0000

photo credit: NotMicroButSoft (Bedori Top Expedition in Jan 2014 via photopin cc

The Nation, an English-language paper in Pakistan, reported that employee volunteers of Lucky Cement Limited planted mangroves saplings at the WWF Wetland Center, Sandspit.

Anwar Naseem, Senior Director Operations, WWF Pakistan praised the efforts of Lucky Cement, observing, “Climate change is not only a slogan anymore; it has become a sad reality and a potential threat to our future. It is very important for the corporates to come forward and play their role in environmental conservation."

Until writing this post, I didn't realize that wetlands conservation was a priority for Pakistan, but there is a comprehensive Pakistan Wetlands Program supported by the government and many NGOs. The Salahif Organization reports:

Despite the generally arid nature of Pakistan's climate, the region supports an estimated 780,000 ha of wetlands that cover 9.7% of the total surface area of the country. In excess of 225 significant wetlands sites are on record in the prototype Pakistan Wetlands GIS Database developed during the PDF (B) Phase of the Pakistan Wetlands Program. Nineteen of these have been internationally recognized by the Ramsar Convention Bureau as being of global importance.

As evidenced by the photograph above, Pakistan's coast is home to several nesting sites for marine turtles. Overharvesting and pollution have negatively impacted the turtle population. The wetlands program helps not just turtles, but the entire ecosystem. Employee volunteer activities like that of Lucky Cement can play a role in creating awareness, fostering education, and reversing ecological damage.

CareCredit's Caring Community Program

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 17:46:00 +0000

CareCredit, a division of General Electric and one of the nation's leading health care credit cards, sponsors a number of CSR initiatives, including Give Kids a Smile, InfantSEE, Miracle Ear, FACE TO FACE: The National Domestic Violence Project, Canine Companions for Independence, and the Breast Reconstruction Awareness Fund. Although most of the initiatives take the form of grants to partner organizations, the company also promotes employee volunteerism.

Recently, employees in Southern California participated in the Orange County AIDS Walk held at Disneyland (Anaheim, California). Together, thirty-two employees and family members raised over $7,000 for the AIDS Services Foundation Orange County.

Cindy Hearn, senior vice president branding and communications, reflected, “It feels good to do good. We have a giving team who work at CareCredit — people who believe it is important to help others. As a company, we want to support our employee efforts and make it easy for them to reach out into the community and volunteer.”

In addition to promoting positive affect by helping others and by engaging in physical activity, charity walks can promote team cohesion, assist in networking, and give employees a sense of meaning. I've written more about employee-driven charity walks here.

CareCredit Press Release

Voluntarily Volunteering

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 19:20:00 +0000

A recent article on knonxvillebiz.com, "Ensure that Volunteering is Voluntary" by Rachel Park Hurt and Paul Wehmeier outlined some of the benefits of employee volunteer program, but noted that employers need to make sure that employees truly feel their volunteering is done freely and optionally. If not, employers could be liable for wages, including overtime.

Legal concerns are not the only reason to make sure employee volunteer program (EVP) activities are voluntary. If employees feel they are forced to participate or experience significant peer or supervisor pressure to engage in the program, they will likely engage in subtle resistance, and they and their teammates will not gain any of the teambuilding benefits of the EVP. Nor will the pressured employee feel the sense of meaning and well-being that comes from freely volunteering.

When I was involved in recruiting at the Oklahoma Blood Insitute, I saw how peer pressure from the work group could transform a lifegiving, selfless act into a source of stress and resentment. Additionally, I knew people who were gay, but not out at work. They felt they had to go through the blood donation process anyway, though it ultimately wasted the time, effort, and equipment of all involved since at the time (and currently) gay men are not allowed to donate blood.

Rodney Davis, Alameda County Community Food Bank (Creative Commons License)

These Guys Know How to Invest

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 16:08:00 +0000

WNCN reported on the opening of Fidelity Insurance's new office in Durham, North Carolina. As one of the largest employers in the area, Fidelity merited the attendance of even the governor at the grand opening celebration. However, many employees skipped the festivities to instead participate in a day of service at Lowe's Middle School where they helped with construction, landscaping, and setting up science experiments. Jackie Benston, one of the volunteers, reflected, "It feels really good when you can sit down with a group of people and know you're doing something for work, but when you can also get together with that same group of people and know that you're making an impact in the community [it's even better]."

It is interesting to me that the company had two parallel rituals - the grand opening with notable public figures and the boots on the ground day of service. Perhaps it wasn't captured in the WNCN story, but maybe employees had the opportunity to participate in both. Each are important contributors to the company's culture, so I wonder if there were unintended consequences to making a choice or what message it sent to employees if all the top executives were at the office opening instead of at the school. While I am sure that both activities were rewarding, only the day of service creates a sense of meaning through giving.

WNCN: News, Weather for Raleigh. Durham, Fayetteville

Employees and Kimptom's Earth Care Program

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 19:21:00 +0000

One of my student teams presented on the Kimpton Earth Care case published in Weber and Lawrence's book Business and Society. As part of their presentation, they played this video. What struck me about the video in relation to my blog are the number of initiatives that came from employee suggestions rather than top-down programs. By their nature, employee suggestions are organic and often informal. At the same time, organizations need some sort of structure to capture, evaluate, and potentially act on suggestions from employees. I am not sure I know of any exemplary models of this.

WND - Kimpton: Earth Care from WESTERNIZED Productions on Vimeo.

Hendrick Boards

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 18:14:00 +0000

Some companies have giving back built into their business strategy. Hendrick Boards, a skateboard deck and apparel company, contributes to animal-related charities with every customer purchase. As an animal lover, I have purchased t-shirts from Hendrick Boards. Without their mission to give back to animal non-profits, I probably would never have known about the company.

Unlike some employees who are able to engage in social action at work through specialized programs, social ventures allow their owners and employees to help solve social and environmental problems as part of their normal day-to-day activities. These employees gain a sense of meaning and fulfilment simply through their organizational membership.

An Early (and Unsuccessful) Personal Attempt at SAW

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

In 1999, just three years after the first Lee National Denim Day, I saw an advertisement for the event and thought it would be a great initiative for the organization where I worked. (I promise it had nothing to do with the year's spokesperson, Rob Lowe.)

National Denim Day was conceived by a group of Lee employees who realized they had all been affected, directly or indirectly, by breast cancer. Concerns about breast cancer also emerged from conversations with customers. Subsequently, Lee National Denim Day was established to raise funds to fight breast cancer.

On National Denim Day, usually a Friday, employees pay $5 or more for the privilege of wearing jeans to work calling on workers to go casual for a cause. Since its inception, the one-day event is one of the most effective single-day fundraisers for breast cancer. Forbes Magazine has recognized it as one of the most creative CSR campaigns and the Cause Marketing Forum named it one of the most influential CSR campaigns of all time. To date, National Denim Day has raised more than $91 million dollars to aid the American Cancer Society in screening for breast cancer, supporting patients who must travel for treatment, and funding research into cures.

Cause Marketing Forum notes that National Denim Day transformed Lee from a brand heavily favored by men into one popular with women as well. From the standpoint of customer growth, the campaign has been a success. It also empowered Lee employees to make a difference in a realm that truly mattered to them, so the event impacts employees as well. Because National Denim Day provides organizers with an easy to implement set of material, any organization can easily include it as one of its own CSR activities.

Back in 1999, then, I was excited about National Denim Day. I had sent off for my organizer packet which included brochures, posters, and pink ribbon pins to distribute to participants. Rob Lowe was there, on my office door, along with a sign-up sheet. I'd told my co-workers, and reminded them to bring a donation. And... no one remembered. I was able to get donations from some of my friends at work, but I'd had visions of us all wearing jeans and pink ribbon pins. It certainly didn't turn out as I imagined.

This was before the days of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. MySpace had not even been created at this time. Even work email was not commonly used for promotion of events like this back then. Having social media to promote an event and create enthusiasm is an important tool for CSR initiatives. However, I can't blame the failure of my local National Denim Day celebration on the lack of social media. I myself contributed by not being vocal enough and not finding champions in other departments to help me promote the event. I was also stymied by the company whose different departments were extremely siloed with no common meetings or even interactions. The workflow, physical layout, and general rhythms of employees impeded communication efforts. Finally, although the part of country in which I was living is known for its generosity, that generosity is often linked to church life or other activities outside of work.

To improve my event's chances of success, I could have established a clear fundraising goal, organized special events in conjunction with the day, created displays in the office, held competitions among departments or individuals, and planned a group photo shot.

Organizers of National Denim Day events have many more resources than were available in 1999 that help guarantee success. The day's website has myriad ideas for promoting the day as well as for special events in conjunction with the fundraiser. Evelope stuffers can be included in paychecks or other mailings. Attractive certificates of appreciation can be downloaded to give to coworkers who join. Honor Patches or Memory Patches allow participants to show their support in a common area.

Lee is a division of the VF Corporation, one of the largest clothing manufacturers. While VF does have a section on their website devoted to CSR, their information is fairly sparse, with brief descriptions of activities around social and environmental issues. I couldn't find mention of CSR in the company's last annual report. North Face, Timberland, Eagle Creek, and Nautical are among VF's many brands, and the lack of CSR at the corporate level may indicate an assumption that CSR will take place at the brand level. This allows more strategic CSR planning with CSR initiatives closely linked to brand identities. At the same time, VF Corporation could improve their CSR transparency (if not their CSR activities as a whole) by including more information on public websites, setting measurable goals for CSR in key areas, and reporting on progress towards those goals. I could not find a CSR report, and creating one would be a positive step for the corporation.

Despite these weaknesses (and despite my own unsuccessful attempt to manage a National Denim Day event), the divisions within the VF Corporation deliver exciting and innovative CSR initiatives. Clarifying how these relate to the parent corporation could develop synergies and uncover opportunities for partnerships and transfer of learning.

EVP Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 16:31:00 +0000

The Society of Human Resource Management recently published an article outlining challenges faced by corporate-sponsored employee volunteer programs. The biggest issues they raise are:

availability of needed skills sets
management of expectations
making decisions regarding time off for volunteering

They note that many of these issues can be managed when companies:

provide clear and upfront communication
specify goals of volunteer program
carefully track volunteer hours

Understandable given the source and intended audience, this article has a focus on risk-management and avoiding legal issues with unpaid work. However, it does omit some challenges that might occur on the side of the partner organization. The host organization should be chosen careful based on the company's mission and goals of the EVP. Host organizations should also have the ability to deploy the skills and talent provided by the organization's volunteers. The volunteers should be mindful that the host organization's purpose is not to manage volunteers but to make an impact.

Photo by Ddelbianco (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Pitfalls of Employee Volunteerism and How to Avoid Them

$4.50 a Day

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars Ellis, Ph.D.) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 18:06:00 +0000

Panera Bread, in the business of healthy food, sees addressing hunger as a critical issue connected to their core competencies. They have historically donated unused food to local agencies, provided in-kind donations to community events, and collected donations at point-of-sale "breadboxes." More recently, they created Panera Cares Cafes, non-profit, pay-what-you-can sites that even accept volunteer work in lieu of payment for food so that anyone can receive a nutritious meal.

As part of Hunger Action Month, a month of awareness sponsored by Feeding America, a network of food banks, Panera CEO Ron Shaich has committed to the organization's SNAP challenge by eating on no more than $4.50 a day for a week beginning on September 14.

SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, is the lifeline for the almost 50 million Americans, 16 million of whom are children, who do not have enough to eat. Feeding America estimates that 1 in 6 people in the U.S. experience hunger. SNAP, however, provides only a $4.50 per day allowance to individuals and families who live in poverty. For those of us accustomed to spending twice that or more per meal, the idea of eating nutritiously on less than $5.00 each day seems impossible. Follow Shaich on LinkedIn to see how he fares experiencing huger as so many of our fellow citizens do each day.

"Challenging Myself to Experience Hunger" by Panera CEO, Ron Shaich

Note: In his blog post announcing his participation in the SNAP challenge, Shaich mentions Panera's Societal Impact Steering Committee. Given the topic of my blog, I am very interested in this committee, but haven't been able to find much about it online. I will continue to research and post any updates.

Brewing for Good

noreply@blogger.com (Aimee Dars) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 17:01:00 +0000

Kim Marotta, Director of Sustainability, MillerCoors, writes today in CSRWire about how employees are critical to achieving a company's sustainability goals. When Miller and Coors merged five years ago, the new company adopted the theme, "Great Beer, Great Responsibility." The brewing giant has worked to reduce water usage, improve waste management, and encourage responsible drinking and designated drivers, and in the last year, has reported the best results so far in its sustainability report, Brewing for Good.

Many companies can forget that without employee support and engagement, environmental and social sustainability goals will wither: employees are the mechanism by which most initiatives rise or fall. MillerCoors knows this and provides ample opportunities for employees to provide ideas, express feedback, and get involved in direct action.

Marotta notes five principles that MillerCoors relies on to maintain employee enthusiasm in social and environmental causes.

Know Where You Stand - Marotta suggests not just providing the important accounting of energy used, waste diverted from landfills, and reduced water use, but measuring employee opinions and priorities regarding social and environmental sustainability.
Invite Employees to Be Sustainability Ambassadors - MillerCoors has a 35 member Sustainability Council that advises the company and suggests initiatives, but other companies have used this concept to unify different locations around sustainability. Interface, for example, has a similar program, and all the company's ambassadors go through a training.
Be Global, Act Local - At MillerCoors, the company celebrates "Great Water Month." (You cannot have good beer without good water!) The entire company is unified around the theme, but different locations engage in activities meaningful to their area. (See this September 2010 post.) These activities allow employees to volunteer together while partnering with a local non-profit organization to make a difference in the communities where they live and work.
Market Sustainablity - Marotta describes a new position, a Sustainability Marketing Brand Manager, to ensure the company sends a unified message across brands. Earlier this year, they partnered with RecycleBank on a campaign to educate consumers with specially marked packages. Companies should promote their sustainability initiatives and should create social marketing campaigns, but they also need to avoid the seven sins of greenwashing.
Share Your Stories - The new blog, Behind the Beer, provides a wealth of stories about employees who are working on MillerCoors social and environmental initiatives. Shared stories help establish values and develop culture. I can't wait to read more of the entries!