Helping employees’ impact is vital to maintaining employees

Many employers are finding that since returning to work after the pandemic, their employees want to make a stronger impact. Hilary Smith, the VP of NBC Universal’s corporate social responsibility department, has seen this shift coming and had begun to prepare for it by trying to help their charitable dollars go further.

They’ve found a couple of ways to help their companies feel as though they’re going further. They put the power into the employee’s hands by having them decide which causes they help and by hosting events where employees can volunteer their efforts to help these causes.  NBC Universal has also started offering skills-based opportunities such as human resources or legal work to help address the causes' specific needs. In addition to skills-based work, they have instituted more hands-on efforts like packing food or being mentors to feel as though they are actually having a part in making a difference.  Finally, NBC Universal has turned its efforts into educational opportunities to share in-depth information about what causes they are helping and how their help is being used. Smith has found that these charity efforts help their employees feel like they’re making a positive impact with their work.

It's been shown that since the pandemic, people want their work to make a bigger impact. An important way for companies to maintain employees is to help them achieve these desires within their current work, NBC Universal has fulfilled this need by finding ways to make their employees’ efforts go further for causes they are helping and by showing the results of their efforts through hands-on or educational opportunities.

I think NBC Universal has taken this development in employees since the pandemic and found a very beneficial way to keep employees at their company while fulfilling their need for a greater impact.  I think that this would be a really good way for me to feel as though I’m making a difference through work that earns me enough money to sustain myself.  These efforts that NBC Universal implemented would make me feel as though I am actually making a difference.

The pandemic has brought about a lot of changes in the workplace, companies helping their employees make a bigger difference within society is the most positive way they can keep their employees feeling fulfilled.

Written by: Bryn Garick

Sources: Smith, H. (2022, June 24). Guest column: How nbcuniversal is making purpose a work perk. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/nbcuniversal-philanthropy-guest-column-1235169107/