Skip to main content

CSR Research: Engaging Employees

ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Motivation for volunteering in workplace different than in personal life

Researchers examining what motivates people to volunteer through their employer found employees have very different reasons to volunteer at work than in their personal lives. A study in the Journal of Business Ethics found that employee volunteers look for opportunities to help themselves and their employers while helping others.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Shared objectives unify diverse teams and drive team performance

Researchers studied management teams at 42 companies to examine whether differences in gender, tenure and functional backgrounds can form “fault lines” that harm organizational performance. They report in their article in Human Relations that strong shared objectives can overcome the potential fault lines of diverse teams and tap their potential strengths.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Developing your employees for corporate citizenship

Researchers writing in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research analyzed previous research in the areas of corporate citizenship management and human resource development. Based on this analysis they propose a process that can be used to develop employees as a strong part of the company commitment to corporate citizenship.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Companies can supplement declining skilled workforce pool with baby boomers electing to delay retirement

As the growth rate of the American workforce continues to slow, U.S. business has an opportunity to benefit from the trend of workers delaying retirement because of personal choice and financial need. These findings are from an article in Generations: The Journal of the American Society on Aging that shows the historic trends.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Getting the best from both good actors and good soldiers

Managers should identify the motives behind an employee’s organizational citizenship practices. Those with altruistic motives can promote greater organizational performance than others with self-serving motives. Although when this is understood and managed properly, a person driven by self-serving motives can provide greater benefit the organization.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

HR underutilized in advancing corporate citizenship programs

A study of human resources managers found that the capacity for HR departments to support understanding and implementation of corporate citizenship initiatives is not being utilized by companies. Researchers found that important and valuable expertise of HR managers in organizational change and employee relations goes untapped frequently.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Human resources: An untapped source of energy for powering corporate citizenship

This paper examines the gap that exists inside many companies between human resources and corporate citizenship and provides a framework for the role human resources can play in planning, implementing, monitoring and institutionalizing citizenship.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

The greatest source of energy for employees can be their jobs

Researchers studied what drains worker energy on the job and the strategies employed to recharge. Findings from the study indicate that rather than coffee or a quick break, strategies related to learning, finding meaning in work and building positive relationships on the job are most effective for restoring vitality.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Tracking billable hours lowers professionals’ willingness to volunteer

This study observes that requirements that professionals account for time worked affect willingness to participate in employee volunteer programs. They found that the obligation to track billable hours made employees less likely to volunteer and more likely to substitute cash gifts.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Better employee treatment translates to competitive advantage not only in preserving human capital, but also in the company’s capital structure

In this study, researchers examined indicators of the quality of firms’employee relations creating an Employee Treatment Index. Companies with higher scores on the Index were found to have lower leverage ratios, higher median returns on assets, and higher sales to larger customers that suggest positive customer relationships built over time.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Employee perceptions of CSR efforts can influence commitment to the firm

This study examined the relationship between organizational commitment and employee perceptions of corporate social responsibility – as measured by employee perceptions of CSR in the community, firm fairness in evaluation and treatment of diverse groups of employees, and the provision of employee training. Findings show that employee perceptions of CSR have a major impact on organizational commitment at a level equivalent to job satisfaction.

Read More
ResearchBrief_1483653945_144

Positive diversity climates in retail outlets can lead to higher customer satisfaction and improved productivity

In this study, researchers analyzed the impact of the “diversity climate” on customer satisfaction in the stores of a large U.S. retail chain. Findings show that in these types of service environments where workers interact with customers, respect and appreciation for diversity are correlated with increased customer satisfaction.

Read More