How to Have 35% Higher Retention Rate
You may not believe this, but there is a non-traditional way to raise your retention rates that may never have occurred to you.
What do you think it could be?
Answer: Corporate Social Responsibility
What is that?
Corporate Social Responsibility involves a belief in and participation in giving back to your community in some way. Business owners give back directly through donating time, talent, and treasure. They support their teams in volunteerism as well. You facilitate ways to match the gifts and talents of your employees to a specific need in your community. Then you give them the paid time to do it.
This is a win for everyone!
Here’s why:
1. Those being served receive the help they desperately need.
2. Those who volunteer feel really great about contributing to someone else’s life in a tangible, real way.
3. Your company can currently deduct $37 per hour per employee of “donated” volunteer time on your taxes.
4. You can feel good to be an organization who cares about the communities in which you live and work.
5. It’s good PR!
And the other result of this ~ you are more likely to retain your employees! Yes, that’s right ~ when you offer time and opportunity for your teams to volunteer and make a difference, they are more likely to stay with your company.
People want to connect, belong, and know they matter. Initiatives like this speak to all of those needs. It’s empowering, inspiring, and just feels good!
Recently, I interviewed Ron Smith, the founder of The Bridge to Kindness, which is an organization who highlights nonprofits all over the country and helps facilitate connecting people with problems to people with solutions. He discussed the importance of putting others before yourself and leaving a legacy of service, especially when you are business owners.
He told a story of The Baldwin Group, an insurance company who believes in giving back, and how they turn a portion of their company retreats into service opportunities. In one of their adventures in Austin, Texas, they helped out with the “Rain from Above”project which provides a way for homeless people to shower. The Baldwin Group employees spent part of a day in an assembly line to fill ziplock bags with hygiene
essentials to be given to folks coming for a shower.
Who can’t fill a ziplock bag to help another human being out?
And guess what?
I checked, and The Baldwin Group has been named one of the nation’s “Best Places to Work.” Hmmm…
My challenge to you today is to ask yourself, “What legacy do I want to leave as a leader, a business owner, and human being?” And, “How can I facilitate service to others in the context of our company’s life?”
You will be so glad you did.
Already doing this at your company? Please comment and/or email me about your experiences!
If you’d like to learn more about The Bridge to Kindness, go to https://
Listen to my interview with Ron Smith here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5DOXNrcmBVuApoi46b0xyD?si=0rJcca8LR2-Uh5mUPY3HLQ
If you would like to learn more ways you can raise your retention rates, DM me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thekindnesscode.
I am a workplace wellbeing expert, coach, and speaker. If you’d like to talk to me about how to incorporate kindness into your company culture, you can contact me at cindy@cindysmarsh.com.
