EVP Challenges

The Society of Human Resource Management recently published an article outlining challenges faced by corporate-sponsored employee volunteer programs. The biggest issues they raise are:

1. availability of needed skills sets
2. management of expectations
3. making decisions regarding time off for volunteering

They note that many of these issues can be managed when companies:

1. provide clear and upfront communication
2. specify goals of volunteer program
3. carefully track volunteer hours

Understandable given the source and intended audience, this article has a focus on risk-management and avoiding legal issues with unpaid work. However, it does omit some challenges that might occur on the side of the partner organization. The host organization should be chosen careful based on the company's mission and goals of the EVP. Host organizations should also have the ability to deploy the skills and talent provided by the organization's volunteers. The volunteers should be mindful that the host organization's purpose is not to manage volunteers but to make an impact. 

Photo by Ddelbianco (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Pitfalls of Employee Volunteerism and How to Avoid Them

$4.50 a Day

Panera Bread, in the business of healthy food, sees addressing hunger as a critical issue connected to their core competencies. They have historically donated unused food to local agencies, provided in-kind donations to community events, and collected donations at point-of-sale "breadboxes." More recently, they created Panera Cares Cafes, non-profit, pay-what-you-can sites that even accept volunteer work in lieu of payment for food so that anyone can receive a nutritious meal.

As part of Hunger Action Month, a month of awareness sponsored by Feeding America, a network of food banks, Panera CEO Ron Shaich has committed to the organization's SNAP challenge by eating on no more than $4.50 a day for a week beginning on September 14.

SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, is the lifeline for the almost 50 million Americans, 16 million of whom are children, who do not have enough to eat. Feeding America estimates that 1 in 6 people in the U.S. experience hunger. SNAP, however, provides only a $4.50 per day allowance to individuals and families who live in poverty. For those of us accustomed to spending twice that or more per meal, the idea of eating nutritiously on less than $5.00 each day seems impossible. Follow Shaich on LinkedIn to see how he fares experiencing huger as so many of our fellow citizens do each day.

"Challenging Myself to Experience Hunger" by Panera CEO, Ron Shaich

Note: In his blog post announcing his participation in the SNAP challenge, Shaich mentions Panera's Societal Impact Steering Committee. Given the topic of my blog, I am very interested in this committee, but haven't been able to find much about it online. I will continue to research and post any updates.

Brewing for Good

Kim Marotta, Director of Sustainability, MillerCoors, writes today in CSRWire about how employees are critical to achieving a company's sustainability goals. When Miller and Coors merged five years ago, the new company adopted the theme, "Great Beer, Great Responsibility." The brewing giant has worked to reduce water usage, improve waste management, and encourage responsible drinking and designated drivers, and in the last year, has reported the best results so far in its sustainability report, Brewing for Good.

Many companies can forget that without employee support and engagement, environmental and social sustainability goals will wither: employees are the mechanism by which most initiatives rise or fall. MillerCoors knows this and provides ample opportunities for employees to provide ideas, express feedback, and get involved in direct action.

Marotta notes five principles that MillerCoors relies on to maintain employee enthusiasm in social and environmental causes.

1. Know Where You Stand - Marotta suggests not just providing the important accounting of energy used, waste diverted from landfills, and reduced water use, but measuring employee opinions and priorities regarding social and environmental sustainability.
2. Invite Employees to Be Sustainability Ambassadors - MillerCoors has a 35 member Sustainability Council that advises the company and suggests initiatives, but other companies have used this concept to unify different locations around sustainability. Interface, for example, has a similar program, and all the company's ambassadors go through a training.
3. Be Global, Act Local - At MillerCoors, the company celebrates "Great Water Month." (You cannot have good beer without good water!) The entire company is unified around the theme, but different locations engage in activities meaningful to their area. (See this September 2010 post.) These activities allow employees to volunteer together while partnering with a local non-profit organization to make a difference in the communities where they live and work.
4. Market Sustainablity - Marotta describes a new position, a Sustainability Marketing Brand Manager, to ensure the company sends a unified message across brands. Earlier this year, they partnered with RecycleBank on a campaign to educate consumers with specially marked packages. Companies should promote their sustainability initiatives and should create social marketing campaigns, but they also need to avoid the seven sins of greenwashing.
5. Share Your Stories - The new blog, Behind the Beer, provides a wealth of stories about employees who are working on MillerCoors social and environmental initiatives. Shared stories help establish values and develop culture. I can't wait to read more of the entries!