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
