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The time is ripe for cross-industry awards that acknowledge staff volunteering, says Scott Keiller
Recently I sat on a panel judging the final six nominees for Starbucks UK’s community ambassador award for 2006, which recognizes the efforts of employees who have put huge efforts into volunteering. The work of all the candidates, as well as of the many more that did not make it to the final six, was truly inspiring. There were individuals giving up their spare time on Christmas Day to support a local homeless shelter, helping to deliver local youth training schemes, raising thousands for local causes, inviting representatives of local communities to meet in their coffee stores to discuss and find realistic solutions to local issues; a huge variety and depth of activities undertaken up and down the country. Their commitment to making a difference within the communities they serve instilled in me a great sense of pride; not only at their achievements but also, personally, at working for a company with a culture that enables this individual creativity and desire to do good.
Many of you as CSR practitioners will take similar pride in employees who have gone the extra mile to play a part in their communities. But sitting outside an organization, it is not easy to find out about these local achievements, which arguably can say more about a company’s culture and commitment to being a good corporate citizen than any number of CSR reports. Of course, the companies themselves will readily understand the value of such ‘people stories’ when highlighting the human face of their business. In fact, some big high street brands have successfully used examples of employee volunteering in their advertising. But in order to spread the good news more widely, businesses need to get better at sharing their stories with external stakeholders, and at recognizing best practice.
A company can choose to apply for any number of external corporate responsibility awards that are credible, peer-reviewed and demonstrate best practice. There are plenty of awards on offer for CSR reporting, responsible supply chain management and community engagement activities – and some of these awards do provide an opportunity to highlight individual grassroots efforts that make a difference.
Of course individuals are acknowledged for their volunteering efforts in the UK by MBEs and other honours. But as far as I’m aware there are no cross-industry awards that recognize individuals within businesses who are enriching the communities in which they work. Surely there is someone out there who is ready and willing to set up such an award scheme?
If and when they do, then they will have provided a valuable service by helping business to celebrate and share the good things being done by their workforces. Over to you.
Scott Keiller is manager of CSR and communications at Starbucks UK
Recently I sat on a panel judging the final six nominees for Starbucks UK’s community ambassador award for 2006, which recognizes the efforts of employees who have put huge efforts into volunteering. The work of all the candidates, as well as of the many more that did not make it to the final six, was truly inspiring. There were individuals giving up their spare time on Christmas Day to support a local homeless shelter, helping to deliver local youth training schemes, raising thousands for local causes, inviting representatives of local communities to meet in their coffee stores to discuss and find realistic solutions to local issues; a huge variety and depth of activities undertaken up and down the country. Their commitment to making a difference within the communities they serve instilled in me a great sense of pride; not only at their achievements but also, personally, at working for a company with a culture that enables this individual creativity and desire to do good.
Many of you as CSR practitioners will take similar pride in employees who have gone the extra mile to play a part in their communities. But sitting outside an organization, it is not easy to find out about these local achievements, which arguably can say more about a company’s culture and commitment to being a good corporate citizen than any number of CSR reports. Of course, the companies themselves will readily understand the value of such ‘people stories’ when highlighting the human face of their business. In fact, some big high street brands have successfully used examples of employee volunteering in their advertising. But in order to spread the good news more widely, businesses need to get better at sharing their stories with external stakeholders, and at recognizing best practice.
A company can choose to apply for any number of external corporate responsibility awards that are credible, peer-reviewed and demonstrate best practice. There are plenty of awards on offer for CSR reporting, responsible supply chain management and community engagement activities – and some of these awards do provide an opportunity to highlight individual grassroots efforts that make a difference.
Of course individuals are acknowledged for their volunteering efforts in the UK by MBEs and other honours. But as far as I’m aware there are no cross-industry awards that recognize individuals within businesses who are enriching the communities in which they work. Surely there is someone out there who is ready and willing to set up such an award scheme?
If and when they do, then they will have provided a valuable service by helping business to celebrate and share the good things being done by their workforces. Over to you.
Scott Keiller is manager of CSR and communications at Starbucks UK
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