In 1979, I started my career at a national CPA firm in Northeast Ohio. I was fortunate to find a great job in my hometown near family and friends. One of the memories from that first job was how our firm took “giving back” to the community very seriously. The firm’s partners expected every employee to participate in this endeavor through monetary donations. Back in the day, the level of community service was often measured against the size of the donation check written.
As evidence, my first bonus check reflected a deduction already made to the local charity, which was considered my annual “fair share” to the charity. For a young guy out of college, this was a bit of a shock and my first experience with a “voluntary” charitable donation.
Fast-forward 36 years. How area businesses support the local community is a far cry from the approach used in the workplace many years ago. It’s not just about the monetary donation any more. Today’s workers are expecting their employers to:
Provide time off
to allow for hands-on, community-based activities. Whether it is helping out at a food bank, building a house or spending time with seniors, employees want to experience making a difference through volunteerism. The approach to time off varies by employer, ranging from time off without pay to paid monthlong community service
sabbaticals.
Organize corporate-wide community service
programs that provide additional opportunities for employees to learn about local needs and at the same time makes a positive impact on others.
Embrace “family first” work environments,
where employees have the flexibility to manage family obligations, spend more time with loved ones and care for parents. Employers are responding by replacing archaic workplace policies with forward-thinking programs, which support enhanced approaches to work-life balance.
Why does any of this matter? In conversations with local business leaders, they consistently state that the No. 1 challenge they have growing their business is attracting and keeping good talent. Our research at ERC shows that making a difference in the local community through employer support is near the top of the list for employees and job candidates.
The workplace environments that were prevalent when I started my career are just not cutting it anymore. My graduating classmates were happy to land a decent-paying job with basic employee benefits. Today, talented top-performing employees seek work environments that are progressive, trusting and community-focused.
The change in employee expectations over the past three decades is significant and expected to gain momentum especially in the areas of work-life balance and community service. Making a difference in the community is not only the right thing to do, it also makes for good business when it comes to talent management. People are looking for meaning in their lives and at work. And when employers step up to the plate and genuinely acknowledge and support these needs, everyone wins.