Today, more than ever, employees feel connected to companies committed to social giving. So, in your search to increase employee engagement, know that fostering a caring workplace culture through positive social impact initiatives can make all the difference.
Benefits of Employee Engagement
Numerous studies have tried to quantify the impact of employee engagement on the companies we work for. A Gallup poll found the following differences between companies with the highest and lowest engagement rates:
- 81% difference in absenteeism
- 18% for employee turnover
- 41% higher quality work
- 18% more productivity
A 2023 Gallup poll also found that despite gains over the past few years, engagement rates have stagnated at around 33% engaged or highly engaged. This amounts to an estimated $1.9 trillion loss in productivity annually.
You need to figure out how to increase employee engagement—and the productivity increase potential it represents. But you have limited time and resources to do it.
This is where social impact software can help you do more with less.
Types of Employee Engagement Software
Social impact program software can take on many forms, such as:
CSR Software
Corporate social responsibility tools help you match employee gifts to promote employee action, a sense of social responsibility, and the experience of shared values with their employer and co-workers. They make giving structured, automatic, and impactful.
Appreciation Software
These platforms allow people across the organization to enhance the visibility of individual contributions. This creates some transparency in giving, rewards generosity, and can even help you gamify giving to ramp up your employee engagement solutions.
Employee Experience Software
You can track employee sentiment and engagement by utilizing survey tools and analytics. Address concerns proactively to improve the overall workplace environment. You explore ideas for employee engagement that include giving to the issues that matter most within your organization.
Strategies for Enhancing Employee Engagement Through Social Impact Software
1. Integrate Technology Seamlessly
Make the technology feel like an extension of your company's mission.
2. Involve Employees from Day One
Be sure to involve your everyday employees in developing giving goals. Use employee engagement software to rev up employee involvement in setting social impact goals.
This can ensure the program aligns with employee values, concerns, and capacity for financial giving. The result—more buy-in.
3. Align Social Goals with Business Objectives
Consider your business strategies, especially regarding hiring and retention goals. Then, use social impact technology to complement your big business objectives.
This helps ensure the relevance of your program to other executives. They may struggle to understand why employee engagement solutions are needed or if a social impact program can help in achieving concrete business objectives like increasing retention rates. Setting measurable goals for the software will help you prove the value of your plan.
4. Make Giving "Painless"
Social impact software can enhance participation rates because it makes giving accessible to everyone—even those who feel they don't have a lot to give. For example, micro-donations eliminate the "pain" that can come from giving large amounts.
For the average frontline employee, you just don't feel 100 donations of $1-$5 the same way you feel transferring $100-$500 out of your bank account. To learn more about the power of micro-transactions check out our story.
5. Maintain Transparency and Consistent Communication
Social impact technologies don't trick people into giving. They're very transparent. At any point, someone can look at the giving stats and feel good about how much they've been able to give without feeling it.
6. Link Social Impact with Personal Development
While you wouldn't use the amount given on someone's employee evaluation, you can use software tools to reinforce the dual benefits of engagement, social responsibility, and career growth.
7. Demonstrate the Software...Make It a Big Deal
Host a software training session to familiarize employees with the software. We promise this software will be easy and won't take long. Have remote employees? They can also watch a video.
8. Lead by Example
Leadership participation is crucial in setting the stage for program success.
9. Identify Your Early Adopters
These are employee leaders who will champion the use of the software and engagement programs. Share the results. Set goals and make giving a fun part of your organization's culture.
To learn more about strategies specific to your business goals, let's talk.
You Have to See This For Yourself
Spave is the social impact software you've been looking for. We make giving easy for employees and even easier for you to implement. Our tools keep giving front-and-center and make it simple to track measurable participation metrics. Employees can customize the app to give how they want, so you're not creating a sense of obligation, just the sense of purpose they crave.
To explore how Spave can transform your company's approach to social impact, try it yourself! Download the app today.
