Finding the right CSR program for your company can be a daunting task. The obstacle isn’t that your employees don’t want to give back and help others, but, rather, that different things move different people.
Tom Pizzuti , VP of communications at UPS, recognized the difficulties in organizing a large corporate-wide CSR program, which inspired him to create an action plan designed to motivate employees to “Take the Pledge.” The pledge focuses on making a difference in the following areas:
> Give back
> Consider the Earth
> Be safe and well
> Play fair
It makes things easier to ask people to do just one thing. Every one of the actions offer the potential for symbiotic outcomes, meaning they can help an individual, community, the planet, the employee and the company simultaneously.
With that in mind, lets break each one down.
> Giving back translates into a host of actions. It can be your time, your money or your resources. In a way, giving back is an umbrella term because, in reality, every CSR program is an effort to give back in some way.
> Sustainability is a growing concern for many companies–especially for a large company such as UPS that requires lots of natural resources to operate. It’s not in anyone’s best interest to consume all of our resources without regard of the impact. So, programs that encourage and steward efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle appeal to many demographics.
> Wellness programs help make people happy and healthy. This is not only a noble undertaking, but improves productivity and maintains a positive work environment.
> Playing fair means acting with kindness. It’s not cliché to imply that you should treat people how you’d like to be treated. A pledge to play fair ensures that people are putting their best foot forward.
Learn about the best practices for sustainable CSR and Green initiatives in PR News Corporate Social Responsibility Guidebook Vol. 6
Follow Caysey Welton: @CayseyW