Employees Want to Work for Companies That Reflect Their Values

In a continued effort to attract and retain employees, companies are focusing more than ever on corporate social responsibility efforts, often referred to as CSR. Why? Because today’s workers, particularly Millennials and Generation Z, tend to seek out companies that align with their own values. What these values are can differ from employee to employee and company to company, but the bottom line is that CSR tends to improve employee morale and lead to greater productivity and retention.

Corporate social responsibility can mean supporting nonprofits working for any number of causes, whether that be through cash donations or giving employees time off to volunteer. But, it can also mean taking care of employees, too. Two years into the pandemic, companies are displaying their commitment to their workforce, for example, by instituting dedicated sick days, paying a greater portion of health insurance premiums or contributing toward student loan debt. Other examples of CSR can involve workplace practices like operating a paperless office or starting a recycling program. Large or small, employees take notice. If a workplace culture aligns with their values, they tend to stay; if it doesn’t, they may look elsewhere.

According to the Center for Creative Leadership, 85% of Millennials believe that making a difference in the world is more important than professional recognition. A survey by Net Impact found that 72% of students about to enter the workforce (Generation Z) are seeking a job where they can “make an impact.”

STEWART’S SHOPS EXEMPLIFIES GIVING BACK

Many members of the Northeast Dairy Foods Association and the Northeast Dairy Suppliers Association incorporate CSR into their company values. One that stands out for its continual generosity to its customers, employees and community is Stewart’s Shops, a 77-year-old company that started out as an ice cream shop in Ballston Spa, New York, and now has more than 350 convenience stores and 4,500 employees across the Capital Region of Upstate New York and in Vermont.

According to Connor Lynch, public relations specialist for the company, it’s important for Stewart’s to be able to do good and share its success with their customers. “Sharing and giving back is a part of who we are,” he said. “We think it is important to support our communities the same way the communities support us.”

In 2022, Stewart’s goal is to donate $8 million dollars across its market areas. These donations go to charitable non-profits, schools or municipalities, in an effort to improve the communities surrounding Stewart’s locations.

Throughout the pandemic, Stewart’s has provided over $1 million in relief to hundreds of organizations impacted by COVID-19. Its COVID-19 relief grants helped organizations continue to provide support to communities in need. School districts were able to keep their backpack programs stocked with bread, milk and eggs, ensuring that children had plenty to eat. Organizations were able to purchase art supplies for community members to use in stressful times, and Stewart’s helped some organizations expand their virtual learning programs. The company even partnered with various counties to provide more than 21,000 free COVID19 tests and vaccination sites.

Stewart’s, which refers to its employees as “partners,” believes that its partners are supportive of its initiatives because they, too, are part of the various communities the shops support. (Through the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan, partners own over 40% of the company.)

“Our partners live and work in these places, so when we, as a company, give back and improve a community, it’s their community we are improving,” said Lynch.

The company often partners with its community members through initiatives like its annual Holiday Match Program, started in 1986, where Stewart’s matches customer donations from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day each year. This initiative alone has raised over $34 million in total for thousands of nonprofit organizations since its inception.

Partners get especially excited for the Holiday Match campaign each year, and shops even compete to collect the most donations or have the most growth from year-to-year. It’s not unusual to see partners setting up outside the various shops dressed as Santa Claus in an effort to secure more donations. Company president, Gary Dake, even works a shift in the shops that collect the most money during the holidays!

Stewart’s is thrilled to share a sense of pride companywide. “We feel like most people want to work for a company that gives back,” says Lynch. “What’s special about our giving is that it stays local. People are proud to work for a company that gives to organizations that make a difference where they live.”

“It’s not uncommon for partners at Stewart’s Shops to work here for 20-plus years,” he added, noting that the company was recently voted a Top Workplace for the sixth times by Albany, New York’s Times Union newspaper. “That just goes to show how much our partners values us.”