At Kronos, our corporate social responsibility program is called GiveInspired. We make a variety of grants each year, a number of which are more significant and ongoing partnerships.  One of these is UTEC, a non-profit organization whose mission is to "ignite and nurture the ambition of Lowell's most disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success."

UTEC serves as a great example of the mutual benefits that corporate social responsibility programs can deliver as they make a real impact on their communities while also inspiring their employees.  To help me explore this partnership, I interviewed Ed Frechette, UTEC Director of Social Enterprise Partnerships and Barb Vlacich, Kronos VP of Global Sales Operations and Strategic Programs.  Barb initiated our partnership with UTEC a few years ago.

The UTEC mission statement refers to "Lowell's most disconnected young people", people who've often been involved in gangs or have done jail time and are ready to make changes in their lives.  UTEC provides them with education support and workplace readiness training, as do many youth oriented non-profits.  One notable difference with UTEC is that they are running multiple businesses in the community in order to prepare these young people for the workplace while also defraying some of the costs of the organization not covered through donations.  The picture in this post is of the cafe they run in Lowell.  One of the ways that Kronos and others support UTEC is to patronize these businesses - which also include mattress recycling, woodworking, and a commercial kitchen.

In this podcast, Ed talks about UTEC's history, mission, programs and the young people they serve.  We also talk about some of the creative ways that Kronos and UTEC have worked together to involve Kronos employees in the mission.  Whether you already have a mature philanthropy program or are just getting started with corporate giving, Ed and Barb's conversation with provide you with some fresh perspectives.  You can listen in by clicking the podcast player below.  And if you are as inspired as I am by UTEC, you can learn more about their initiatives and how to support them here.

Listen to my conversation with Ed here:

 

 

GiveInspiredHolidays2016The holiday season always brings out the generosity in people. This time of year just seems more magical, more heartwarming - and it inspires many of us to pause and think about how we can give to those who need it the most.

As a Kronite, I'm fortunate that the company I work for is generous throughout the year. But for this holiday season, we've gone a step further and implemented a program called #SixWeeksofGiving, where each week, leading up to the holidays, we work together to give back to a worthy cause. Last week, for instance, we held our annual Holiday Fair.  The proceeds from that event will benefit Community Teamwork in Lowell, Massachusetts. Community Teamwork works to strengthen communities and reduce poverty by delivering vital services to create housing, education, and economic opportunities.

“The Kronos Six Weeks of Giving program is a fun and engaging way for us to bring employees together this holiday season to support the communities where our employees live and work,” says Vince Devlin, Chief Procurement Officer and head of Kronos' GiveInspired corporate giving program. “It's truly a win-win for both Kronos and our community partners.”

While the Six Weeks of Giving Program is a fantastic way to give back to our own neighborhoods, it also provides an unique - and heartfelt - way to boost employee engagement. It's giving our employees the opportunity to make a positive difference in their community, while also working together for great causes. In fact, UnitedHealth Group's 2013 Health and Volunteering Study found that 64% of employees who participate in volunteer activities at their job said that volunteering with co-workers strengthened their relationships with their colleagues.

A corporate giving program (no matter the time of year) can also help to attract and retain employees. For instance, Cone Research found that 79% of people prefer to work for a socially responsible company, and 79% of employees think it's important that their companies match their charitable giving.

Would you agree that a corporate giving program inspires employee engagement (and retention)? Why or why not?

IMG_1519In August, Kronites packed 890 backpacks for Citizen Schools - a non-profit organization that partners with middle schools across the United States to expand the learning opportunities for children in low-income communities. Over the next few weeks, these backpacks will be delivered to students at Browne and Wright middle schools in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Several Kronos customers and partners donated items for the bags, including Justice, Cognizant, Workforce Insight, and The WFC Group.

Here at Kronos, we are passionate about our Give Inspired initiatives. As a company, we believe it's important to give back to our communities. For our employees, it gives them an opportunity to work together on an objective that has deep personal purpose for many.

It's no surprise that Kronos' Give Inspired program has our employees engaged. Last year, WeSpire conducted a survey on "The Evolution of Employee Engagement." The survey found that 50% of respondents were interested in becoming more involved in their organization's volunteer, sustainability, well-being, or social responsibility programs. 71% of employees under the age of 30 expressed a desire to be more involved.

While corporate social responsibility helps to engage (and retain) your current employees, a solid program can also help attract top talent. According to a 2014 Nielsen survey, 67% of employees prefer to work for a socially responsible company.

Ping pong tables and free snacks are nice, but many employees are looking for a way to give back. Whether your organization strives to support its local community or a more national (or even global!) cause, giving your employees the opportunity to get involved is quite the workplace perk.

Tell us: Does your company focus on social responsibility? Share your feedback in the comments section below.

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