It took a global pandemic to shake up America’s workforce into re-considering their life priorities.  Remote work for the past 18 months allowed all of us the permission to spend more time with our families, focus on self-care, and re-introduce ourselves…well, to ourselves.  With a vast majority of the workforce re-prioritizing their personal needs and desires over their careers, America is witnessing what has been coined by Professor Anthony Klotz at Texas A&M as “The Great Resignation” – people’s preference to vacate their jobs rather than just resume the “old normal” of slogging to the office every day.

A record four million workers called it quits in April alone, with another 11 million leaving their jobs since then, according to the Labor Department.  Although priority reassessment is one of the major contributors, other factors are also at play like…

 

• Requirements to return to in-office work

1 in 3 employees are saying they’ll quit if they can no longer work from home, according to one survey.);

 

• Increased polarization of political and social views

79% of people find it stressful to bring up current news topics for fear of starting an argument with family, friends or coworkers, according to 1440, a fact-based email newsletter;

 

• Fear of marginalization

Women and other marginalized communities fear experiencing a lack of dignity when returning to their workplace, with 82% of employees with low levels of dignity reporting they are detached or disengaged, according to Willis Towers Watson research.

 

Disengagement isn’t just a feeling that companies want to dispel, but a cost of doing business they desperately need to avoid.  For a company of 10,000 employees with an average salary of $50,000 each, disengagement costs $60.3 million a year, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2021 Report.

In addition to these motivating factors for leaving their jobs, Jon Clifton, global managing partner at Gallup, also cites these major reasons as to why employees are disengaged at work:

1. Not seeing opportunities for development
2. Not having strong relationships at work
3. Not feeling connected to the company’s purpose

 

Disconnection from the company’s purpose has resulted in a significant spike in corporate investment in new programs, tools and partnerships that better facilitate an inclusive culture at work, fosters more collaboration and team building and better supports workforce (mental/physical) wellness – at work and at home.

86% of CSR departments have already or will increase integration with DEI, HR, ESG or all.

 

While workforce wellness and engagement has been a swelling CSR priority, The Great Resignation has underscored and elevated the need for monetary investment in this area.  Nonprofit organizations can play a substantial role in helping companies mitigate looming attrition risk and keep costs low by providing turnkey opportunities for engagement and connection to purpose.

 

Regardless of a nonprofit’s mission focus, NGOs can support a company’s need to appeal to their workforce’s needs and desires by facilitating “give back” or “get back” opportunities.

Give Back options:  meaningful, tangible contributions to causes employees care about and align with their employer’s purpose.  Traditional give back options might include:

• Time – volunteer options
• Talent – skills-based volunteering
• Treasure – philanthropic donations, including recurring payroll deductions, annual giving days, and peer-to-peer/team fundraising

 

Most nonprofits have some, if not all, of these options for workforce engagement in place already.  The recent shift here is aligning these choices with the company’s purpose and employee interests.  Nonprofits should search for opportunities that allow for customization for different workforces, their size, demographics and preferences to incite greater adoption and mission impact.

 

Get Back options:  carefully curated expert content that offers a company’s workforce something that makes their lives easier, healthier or more fulfilling.  With the launch of Accelerist’s new Employee Engagement Asset Module, we’re witnessing sophisticated nonprofits offer get back options that include:

 

• Wellness application downloads
• Nutritional content and recipes
• At Home curriculums for families
• Cultural education content for Employee Resource Groups
• Advocacy and activism opportunities
• Workforce recognition toolkits

 

Get Back opportunities are one of the biggest trends we’re witnessing in profit-purpose partnership development.  Instead of logo placement and on-site sampling opportunities, nonprofits are witnessing the power (and value) in their biggest asset – their expertise and mission.  Those with the ability to package this up and frame it for workforce engagement will win over more corporate partnerships in 2022!

 

For inspiration and examples of how other nonprofits have created and monetized successful “Get Back” employee engagement assets, click here. And for more information on how to successful employee engagement strategies, register to attend our employee engagement webinar which will feature Nancy Stinson-Harris, who serves as the National Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at the Arthritis Foundation. Nancy will review how the Arthritis Foundation successfully developed, curated, and implemented an employee engagement program to help them secure a handful of partners within a few months! This will be a great conversation you won’t want to miss. Register Here!