As employees seek balance and fulfillment from every aspect of their lives, engagement in the workplace has become critical for ensuring that staff stays motivated to work hard. So how can your company keep employees happy? (Spoiler alert: it’s not all about extra time off!)
Employee engagement. This term has become somewhat of a buzzword in the HR sphere. The idea is that employees who are presented with positive workplace environments often have higher morale and are more motivated to succeed in their role, which ultimately benefits the employer.
If this sounds like a challenge, have no fear! Global Impact knows exactly how to help you plan activities that reinforce your company’s values, unite staff, and ensure that team members are happy and engaged. Here are nine examples of the types of opportunities that Global Impact can arrange for your office.
- Bring the volunteer opportunities to them …
Kit building is a group-based event in which volunteers assemble kits that are shipped to people in need. Many charities can arrange for a kit build activity to take place in your office. The themes of these kits range from hygiene to baby care, disaster relief to education. The cost of this activity varies depending on type of kit built and the content requirements determined by the partnering organization.
Featured Organizations: Church World Service, International Medical Corps, MAP International, World Vision - … and make team building fun!
Food packs are another type of group-based event in which volunteers assemble food packages for those in need across the country and around the world. These food packs offer vital nutrients to hungry people, filling their bellies with food and their hearts with hope. The event is fast–paced, and volunteers form teams around each step of the food pack, like an assembly line, helping to increase collaboration of co-workers around a shared goal. Like kit builds, food packs can be set up in your workplace, making them a great opportunity to turn up the tunes and enjoy an afternoon of team building!
Featured Organizations: Feed My Starving Children, Rise Against Hunger - Solve a problem and learn something new.
Through action-packed simulations, interactive learning sessions offer a glimpse into the complexities of global issues, such as a disaster relief in a developing country, food insecurity, class differences and the various setbacks that can be experienced when living in a resource scarce nation. Not only are these powerful learning experiences, but they can also be a great team building activity.
Featured Organizations: Save the Children, UNICEF USA, World Vision - Arrange ways to give more than money.
Donation drives are great, low-maintenance ways to engage staff who might not otherwise be able to give. Donated clothing and goods are sent to impoverished communities around the world.
Featured Organization: Operation Smile - Open their eyes with an offsite activity.
Many charities offer educational exhibits that give a hands-on experience of what life is like in a developing nation. These activities typically take place at the charity site and are a great opportunity for a team field trip. Getting out of the office can help staff open up and connect on a more personal level.
Featured Organizations: ECHO, Heifer International, Mercy Corps - Encourage creativity.
Creativity in the workplace promotes problem solving and innovation. Many charities look for volunteers to help craft various comfort items for families undergoing surgery or expecting the arrival of a child. These include sewing dolls, creating get-well cards, making blankets, assembling soft casts and collecting school bags. For families already coping with scarce resources, these tokens can ease the burden of medical hardships or caring for a newborn.
Featured Organizations: Operation Smile, World Vision, Smile Train - Empower an employee to support their favorite nonprofit.
Individuals can take advantage of volunteer opportunities with a number of our charity partners, including mentoring, hosting a child or volunteering abroad.
Featured Charities: Mercy Corps, Save the Children - Slow down the pace, bring out the popcorn and have a discussion.
Host a film screening for your employees and explore the inspiring work of our charity partners around the world. Discussion questions and other activities accompany these documentaries, creating connections between employees and enhancing the impact of the activity.
Featured Charities: Free the Slaves, World Bicycle Relief - Inspire through storytelling.
All of our charities have wonderful stories to tell about the work they do, the people they meet and how donors can make a difference. Listeners often describe these talks as inspiring and enlightening. As part of our ongoing efforts to inspire greater giving, especially for international causes, Global Impact and our charity partners closely follow international current events. Our team can arrange for a charity to speak about their work or for a subject matter expert to lead a discussion about a number of timely topics. The focus of both opportunities can include refugees, clean water, disaster relief, economic development, education, global health and child survival, human trafficking, hunger, malaria, and women and girls.
Now I know we said this was a list of nine ways to engage employees, but for someone like me who works remotely, many of the above suggestions aren’t very effective. So, I present a bonus …
BONUS! Challenge employees to test their charitable knowledge.
Online games and quizzes on different topics are fun and help build awareness about global humanitarian topics, like poverty, environmental impact and clean water – not to mention, they are easy to share with little effort on your part.
Many of Global Impact’s charities offer employee engagement activities that are easily implemented in the workplace. And our team would be pleased to help coordinate on your behalf. Reach out to us today to get started!
