South Africa is fast approaching need fatigue; a collective sense of resignation and despondency in response to the overwhelming social ills that surround us. And it’s not because our people are heartless and don’t care; rather, it’s simply because there are so many in need that it’s hard to know where to direct our energies or feel like our efforts are anything more than a drop in the ocean.
People blame the pandemic, they blame the economy, they blame the government; the fact remains that helping our communities rebuild and claw their way out of this carnage is all of our responsibility, and will take collaboration, creativity and consistent effort.
And here’s a little secret: companies already have the resources needed to turn things around.
No – not money – though of course, funding is essential, and corporates of a certain size already direct a significant portion of the earnings to corporate social investment (CSI). But the pandemic certainly did not leave businesses unscathed, and companies remain under financial pressure, with loadshedding, a turbulent economy and a host of other factors doing nothing to lighten the load.
We, as the South African business sector, need to get creative by tapping into the resources we do have plenty of: our people.
So, with growing need and shrinking funding, Staff Volunteerism Specialist, Patronella Sono and CSI Manager, Tshego Bokaba at Momentum Metropolitan, offer these practical ways that employers can partner with their employees to maximise their CSI efforts:
Staff volunteerism
Encouraging volunteerism among employees is one way that we can harness our human resources to benefit our communities. There are various ways that corporates might champion this: formal staff volunteerism programmes, dedicated leave days for community involvement, and recognition programmes.
At Momentum Metropolitan, for example, employees are granted an extra leave day for volunteerism and on-the-ground community involvement. Employees help out at soup kitchens, hand out relief parcels, or rebuild and revamp children’s homes facing severe neglect. By making this an official part of our CSI calendar, we give employees the freedom and encouragement to support those causes closest to their hearts.
Staff volunteerism programmes also need to provide for the fact that there are various forms of volunteerism. A non-profit organisation (NPO) might need assistance with its fund-raising efforts or books, for example, and our employees might have the very public relations, graphic design or accounting skills that are needed. We call this ‘virtual volunteering’.
We also believe in recognition. Every year we host our Lesedi Awards, which acknowledges those employees who go above and beyond in their charitable efforts. These are a way for our company to demonstrably show our appreciation and support.
Payroll donation
While the good intentions are there, many employees have demanding work-and-family lives and so don’t always have the time available for physical or even virtual volunteering, but still want to support those in need. This is where payroll donation programmes can be helpful.
At Momentum Metropolitan, we’ve implemented a payroll giving programme, where employees can voluntarily decide on an amount of their choosing to be automatically deducted from their monthly salary and channelled towards the NPOs that we’ve partnered with. Our employees are safe in the knowledge that these NPOs have demonstrated proven impact in the communities that they serve, and that their funds will be put to good use.
Revealingly, this is also our best-performing staff volunteerism initiative, highlighting that payroll-giving programmes offer a convenient way for people to give back.
Match funding
Match funding programmes – where employers match the time that employees spend doing worthy causes with financial contributions – are also another way that employer and employee can collaborate for the greater good. When an employer provides matched funding, it creates a larger impact for NPOs, while encouraging employees to participate in CSI programmes because their efforts are appreciated and matched by their employer. This assures employees that no matter how much time or money they’re able to give, they can still make a real difference.
Tapping into our talent’s talents
There is undoubtedly a diverse pool of skills and talents among the employees in your organisation, and these can be harnessed to solve the problems of others.
For example, every year Momentum Metropolitan hosts the ‘Cube’ business challenge, which sees our employees putting their heads together to solve real business challenges faced by some of our NPO partners, working with them to co-create solutions.
Ultimately, to successfully harness our most valuable resource – our people – for the greater good of our country, we need to make it clear and easy for them to give back by putting the necessary frameworks and structures in place that will give them to means to do so. This will not only benefit businesses in successfully delivering on their CSI mandate (while contributing to staff retention through ensuring employees are aligned and buy-in to the business’ vision and purpose) but will also add richness and meaning to the lives of employees.
