The month of December, when an outpouring of generosity was springing up from everywhere and of course, the Shift Group followed suit. However, we believe that this involvement with the community must be done throughout the year. Indeed, giving to the next (or having a corporate social responsibility) brings many benefits and positive benefits.
Without knowing it, you may already be doing it in a company! If not, I will share some good reasons for doing so and give you simple examples to integrate it into business. You’ll see, it’s really not rocket science! ?
What does corporate social responsibility eat in winter?
Corporate social responsibility refers to how a company takes responsibility for its actions and their impact on the employees, stakeholders and communities it serves.
-BDC definition.*
This way, your company could get involved in causes that are close to its heart, for example, environmental, social, economic and ethical issues. Involvement is not only with your community, but also in your activities and the way you treat your employees on a daily basis.
What good does that do me?
Not only will you be happy to do so, but we will not hide the fact that consumers are ready to invest a little more for a company that has the same values as them and will get involved in a common cause that is important to them. The saying goes, give, and you will receive!
Still not convinced? Here are my other arguments:
Embellish your image
As mentioned, engaging with their community will allow you to enjoy a better reputation with your customers and will also attract future employees who could be attracted by a company recognized for its responsible behavior. It’s also a great way to stand out from the competition.
Improve team skills
When a collective effort is put forward, you not only create a team chemistry, you also increase the motivation and leadership spirit of your staff. Skills that will also improve employee retention.
Be a source of inspiration
The entrepreneurial world influences itself a lot. Your good deeds and positive impact in your community may inspire other companies in your industry or region to follow in your footsteps. Do not hesitate to ask them and invite them to your activities: the more crazy we are, the more we laugh!
It will make you proud
It is well known: investing in a cause makes a huge good! Feeling that we can make a difference in your community is very rewarding and it positively improves self-esteem.
you will make happy
Your involvement will undoubtedly have a lot of positive impact, but the most important: it gives a little respite to those who benefit and it will make them happy.
How can my company get involved?
There are many ways a company can get involved, but I think the easiest way to get together as a team is to find common causes or issues that affect you. You can also create an involvement committee whose role will be to propose activities that will contribute to the well-being of their society. Here, our team being very small, it is our Social Club committee that is happy to find causes in its community.
Sponsorships or donations
Depending on your corporate values, encourage a cause, organization, team or event that is important to you by making a donation or purchasing a sponsorship. As a bonus, very often, your name or logo will be broadcast at the event, on a website or on social networks to give you a little visibility and especially, as a thank you.
Donation to the Centre d’action bénévole de la MRC de Bécancour – Le Courrier Sud
Volunteering
Many organizations in the region may not have the financial means to have a team to perform certain tasks. Contact them directly or contact your nearest Volunteer Centre. They are best placed to suggest activities that will help your community. You can then invite your team, on a voluntary basis, to participate.
Surprisingly, when employees start getting involved, it snowballs the rest of the team. It is truly a great business experience to live!
Grande Guignolée des Médias in Bécancour
Get involved with the next generation
At Shift, the next generation is important. We are therefore involved with Cégeps to offer them observation courses and medium and long-term internships. When the opportunity arises, we also like to take a few lunches to teach them a little more about certain aspects of computer development or new technologies. For us, education is an important cause and we believe that young people can bring us beautiful creative and innovative ideas. As a bonus, you may have the chance to have these students as future colleagues, who knows? A great way to recruit by the band! ?
Be a member of a board of directors
Many organizations are looking for board members. They often look for members from different industries with different skills and personalities. Everyone’s strengths are used to contribute positively to the success of the organization. It must also be said that being a board member looks great on a resume and you will also have the opportunity to expand your business network.
Protect the environment
The environment is a cause that should no longer be neglected in business. Go digital and reduce paper usage (Do you know Gemba-Walk? ?). You can also challenge your business, for example, we participated in the Défi sans auto, organized by the Association des Centres de gestion des déplacements du Québec. For a week, we had to use a sustainable means of transport for our various trips.
Obviously, there are many other ways for your company to get involved. Choose causes that represent and motivate you! At Shift Group, we believe that it is important to have a pro-active role to play in our community and we will not hide it from you, getting involved, it makes us very happy! ?
