Students to CEOs: Social Engagement Programs Attract Millennial Talent
Lost revenues, high employee turnover, and a general corporate culture of stagnation plague businesses that haven't jumped on the "corporate social responsibility" bandwagon. Bright Light Volunteers, a national nonprofit leader in global service learning programs for students, expands its programming in order to take on corporate America and, in turn, the world.
CHICO, Calif., Dec. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Alex Van Dewark, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for Bright Light Volunteers (BLV) is spearheading an effort to bring culturally inclusive service programs to corporate clientele.
"What we want to do is give small to mid-size companies an advantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent--while helping to make the world a brighter place at the same time!"
Van Dewark explains that corporations that implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs often enjoy increased brand awareness and gain global recognition in addition to heightened employee engagement, performance, and well being. Many large corporations have joined the CSR bandwagon (Google, Intel, Microsoft, and Apple to name a few), but most smaller sized firms find the prospect of implementing a robust corporate responsibility program a daunting-- even impossible- -endeavor.
Where to begin? How to start? What to do? How to measure impact and effectiveness of such a program?
"We offer the solution," says Van Dewark. "We are providing small to midsize companies the ability to compete against the large firms that dominate the market by offering tax deductible employee benefits that enable them to recruit and retain top talent while also building a globally responsible brand."
Believe it or not, these perks really can positively affect the bottom line by lowering the annual cost of employee turnover, hiring, and development that often translate into a huge loss of productivity and potential revenue.
Scott Jennings, principal and financial analyst at consulting firm Sciplin and former Bright Light Volunteers Board Member, warns that while there are varying estimates of the direct costs of hiring an employee, the Society for Human Resource Management found the average cost-per-hire was $4,425 and growing in 2016. However, he also points out that, "if you're only focused on the cost of running a recruitment process, you're missing the bigger picture. According to Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli, 'the big cost is leaving the position vacant, bringing in somebody new who doesn't know what they're doing, waiting for them to get up to speed.' His colleague, Matthew Bidwell, has research showing external hires take more than two years to perform as well as someone promoted from within. When you consider the impact on the team, that may mean two years of overwork leading to increased sick days, burnout, and low morale – which may lead to additional departures."
Bright Light Corporate programs help a wide variety of enterprises provide fun, rewarding, and impactful, and tax-deductible CSR initiatives & benefits that change lives.
Bright Light Volunteers is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, designed to empower program participants and community partners through education and service. Specifically, our programs adhere to global service-learning best practices, which combine community service with both experiential learning in the field and online coursework through our university partner. Our vision is to make the world a brighter place by creating a more peaceful, just, interconnected world where global challenges and opportunities are met by educated, compassionate, global citizens and leaders.
SOURCE Bright Light Volunteers
Share this article