Next in our two-part series on Employee Engagement, this session explores why businesses need to lean in and engage their employees through pro bono programs, including developing opportunities to leverage technology for social impact as we move on to create new normals in this post-pandemic world. Read the recap below and access the session resources here.
The past 18 months have taught us that employees crave human interaction at work. Fatigue, loss and grief are being felt across the board, and people want to feel a sense of purpose, belonging, and a chance to be part of something bigger than themselves that helps make the world better. According to recent studies, current trends show that while 50% of all employees are open to leaving their companies for new roles, this drops to less than 12% if they believe that their company is making a positive impact in their communities.
In this session, Erin Dieterich of New Relic spoke with Jessamine Chin of VMware, Amanda Lenaghan of Cruise, and Brian Mattos of Salesforce about their experiences running pro bono programs and how the pandemic has propelled their organizations to come up with new normals to raise awareness about the interconnectedness of employee engagement, ESG, and social impact in the workplace.
Here are our 4 takeaways from the event:
1. Pro bono means putting team talent and professional skills to work with nonprofit partners and customers.
Leveraging your company’s assets for social impact is key to having a successful pro bono program, especially when it comes to your team’s talent and skills. In this hybrid work environment, it's essential that we explore how our products and services can be key drivers for change.
2. The right balance is in helping organizations achieve their goals while providing impactful volunteering opportunities to employees.
Matching a pro bono volunteer with a nonprofit project isn’t always easy. While there’s a lot of great intent and passion towards making a difference, there’s also a rush to implement when the need arises. In managing pro bono programs, beware of skipping certain steps that might lead to missing the root cause, creating a solution that isn’t sustainable, or perhaps leading to an outcome that does not fully address the organization’s needs.
3. Improving employee skill sets in ESG will benefit companies and nonprofits alike.
There are many pathways to a social impact career, starting with the job you currently have. A lot of the day-to-day skills needed right now is the ability to bridge external realities of what potential clients and customers are facing with the internal demands of the workforce and leadership teams. Whether you’re an engineer in R&D or are part of a frontline salesforce , having that knowledge of ESG will naturally evolve the way you create impact through your work.
4. The “Work From Anywhere” future leads to “Impact From Anywhere” movement.
The virtual systems and approaches we’ve adopted at the start of the pandemic is a good point to launch employee engagement strategies that should stay post-pandemic, especially in hybrid environments. Developing human-centered programs not only with employees but also with the organizations that need our expertise and help will define the future of pro bono in the workplace.
For more information, explore the tools in our Member Community or watch the full recording below:
