For several years, bolstered by research showing the public trusts business more than any other institution to address societal issues, companies have taken positions on everything from the environment to LGBTQ rights. As the U.S. population grew more polarized, though, those on the other side of a company’s position made things increasingly difficult for those organizations. Yet companies understand that the younger workers they want to attract put a high premium on working for purposeful organizations. Some companies are finding an alternate approach to fulfilling that need by turning to a not-so-new activity: company-sponsored volunteerism.

Links from this episode:

• Seeking engagement and purpose, corporate employees turn to workplace volunteering
• Corporate Advocacy in a Time of Social Outrage
• Company Bosses Draw a Red Line on Office Activists
• Unleashing the Good in Your Workforce: 10 Ways to Encourage Employee Volunteering
• Examples of robust workplace volunteer programs in the UK.

—-

The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, May 20.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email fircomments@gmail.com.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices