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While a majority of employees in corporate America receive robust benefits packages, a massive segment of the workforce remains overlooked or are left out of many those benefits: deskless workers. These frontline employees—from retail associates and warehouse workers to healthcare aides and delivery drivers—power our economy but are often excluded from the same perks, development opportunities, and wellness programs enjoyed by their desk-bound colleagues.
If your company has corporate social responsibility (CSR) endeavors, you might not see as much involvement from your deskless workers or you may not have a way to include them in existing programs. Fortunately, a number of strategies can help you increase their (as well as in-office employees') engagement in your CSR programs.
Quick Review: Drivers of Employee Engagement
10 Ways to Engage Deskless Workers in CSR Programs
Drive Engagement Among Deskless Workers with Groundswell
Employee engagement is the degree to which a company’s workforce is enthusiastic about its work and willing to participate in company initiatives beyond their basic work tasks. Engaged employees are happier, which often has a cascading effect of making companies more profitable.
How do you increase engagement among your company’s employees? There’s no silver bullet, but having the following engagement drivers can set you up for success:
These same drivers can help companies improve CSR engagement among their workers. However, you might have to dig a little deeper to increase deskless workers’ engagement.
Read through the 10 strategies below if you want some ideas on how to engage deskless workers in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) space.
When some entrepreneurs and executives think about charitable endeavors, they envision a river cleanup morning or afternoon in which all employees gather at one location. There’s nothing wrong with that type of volunteerism, but many other types exist for deskless workforces. Reference this earlier Groundswell blog post for remote volunteer opportunities.
Did you know? Virtual and hybrid volunteering generated more than $41.5 billion in economic value in 2023!
Technology is the great unifier for companies wishing to increase employee engagement in CSR programs. Clunky or hard-to-use tech can discourage engagement, though, and that extends to CSR employee engagement. Employees who don't have access to a desktop computer can use their mobile phone to engage in CSR programs. Groundswell is proud of our CSR app that makes volunteering and giving easier than ever before.
Pro Tip: Use existing technology to further support your CSR programs. You may, for instance, use your time-tracking software to measure participation in campaigns.
A basic principle for effective leaders is that they should reflect the traits of their followers (or as many traits as possible). Remote and deskless workers might be more likely to participate in CSR programs if someone in their department leads the charge. You might choose natural leaders, department heads, or employees who have already demonstrated enthusiasm for CSR initiatives.
Pro Tip: Rotating remote program ambassadors can make every employee feel involved.
Everybody loves company meetings, right? Yeah, we understand. Mentioning a new program at the end of an all-hands meeting when everyone simply wants to wrap things up might not lead to astronomical CSR employee engagement. Instead, send emails, instant messages, post notices to a cork board in the break room, or even create videos to announce CSR initiatives. Reach your employees where they are!
Did you know? A recent Queens University study revealed that nearly 40 percent of employees feel disconnected from their coworkers due to poor communication.
Re-inventing the wheel is not efficient. If your company has an existing DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) program, take some notes! Repurpose some of their effective strategies and tactics for your CSR programs.
Pro Tip: Employees leading your company’s DEI efforts may have some great ideas on social justice volunteering opportunities.
Don’t wait to tell new hires about your company’s CSR initiatives—during orientation, let them know how they can give back. Their ears are guaranteed to perk up when they hear the words “employee donation matching.” Groundswell’s platform makes payroll giving programs simple, easy, and effective. Hearing about CSR programs early and often can make it clear how much your company values charitable giving.
Did you know? More than 81 percent of workers prefer working for socially responsible companies.
Younger workers (millennials and Zoomers) want to feel involved with their employers in both work-related and CSR matters. The first step to fostering that involvement is establishing an open line of communication with each team member. You’re more likely to hear great ideas if your employees feel empowered to share their ideas.
Pro Tips: Some employees might want regular check-ins with their managers about their work. These meetings are great opportunities to discuss CSR programs. Having an intuitive deskless workers engagement platform is also crucial.
Being a thermostatic leader means setting the tone in an organization. Human resources managers and other company executives need to show that giving back is a priority so that all employees get the message. Actions speak louder than words, though—make sure you lead by example.
Did you know? Gartner research reveals that 65% of employees report they want to work for organizations with a strong social and environmental conscience.
Getting employees to volunteer or donate their time or money is no small task. Don’t let volunteerism happen without recognition! Your employees will appreciate your noticing and celebrating their charitable endeavors. Also, nothing beats an occasional incentive or reward.
Pro Tip: You might want to reward your employees’ volunteerism through bonuses, paid time off, gift cards, or extra work-from-home days.
Leveraging skills-based volunteering opportunities with your team is one of the best things to happen to CSR and employee engagement. Financial donations, while incredibly worthy and admirable, may not get workers as excited as they would be to offer pro bono services to real people in their communities. Using their skills can also help them develop as employees.
Pro Tip: Showcasing workers’ expertise through skills-based volunteering is a great way to burnish your company’s reputation.
By offering a robust web app, easy-to-use mobile app, and lightning-fast distribution timelines, Groundswell can bring together your employees and CSR programs like never before. Technology that simply works well is the best way to empower your remote and deskless workers to give time and money to worthy causes.
Not convinced yet? Compared to other CSR platforms, Groundswell also has a much lower administrative burden. On top of increased employee engagement, you can also say goodbye to time-sucking payroll reconciliations and monthly invoices. Schedule a demo with us for an up-close look at how to engage employees in CSR initiatives and, ultimately, make your life easier.
