Added value
In 2021 employees are not only interested in a good salary or nice secondary employment benefits, but also in the company's social mission. In the Netherlands there are countless companies that want to make the world a little better for future generations. Take for example Triodos Bank, which operates from the mission ‘to make money work for positive change’. Or Tony Chocolonely, which makes 100% slave-free chocolate. And Dopper, which tempts people to reuse water bottles to protect the oceans from plastic soup. And there are many more examples to mention. All these companies have a strong focus on social development and impact.
Purpose, in other words a social mission, leads to an increase in productivity, a decrease in staff turnover and the retention of employees for a longer time.
Motivations
On the tight labor market zijn both young talents and experienced employees looking for meaningful work. This also applies to professionals who commit to a company on a project basis. A mission-driven company that genuinely wants to contribute to a better world therefore attracts intrinsically motivated candidates. Purpose, or a social mission, delivers the following for employers:
● An increase in productivity;
● A decrease in staff turnover;
● Retaining employees for the long term.
Societal mission
The right societal purpose is an important motivator for employees in paid employment. No less than 52 percent of highly educated Dutch employees in paid employment consider social engagement an important aspect of their employer. This emerges from research by Circle8 among 236 employees and self-employed persons, carried out by PanelWizard. One fifth moreover finds it important for his or her career to work for an organization that is socially engaged. The research also shows that:
Highly educated people in salaried employment are more willing than self-employed workers (zzp’ers) to give up part of their salary or income in order to be able to work for an organization that is socially engaged (20.8% versus 12.6%).
Highly educated people in salaried employment, but also self-employed freelancers, turned down a job or assignment because the company's social involvement was not sufficiently clear (12,0% versus 11,7%).
Both highly educated salaried employees and self-employed people are convinced that more and more organizations use their social engagement as a marketing trick (61.6% versus 59.5%).
Purpose in practice
Organizations that win the battle for talent are aware of the importance of creativity and a sense of purpose. With the right purpose you attract talent that stays. The following steps help you as an organization for a purpose-driven approach:
1. Determine the right societal goal
You develop a societal mission together with the tastemakers within the organization. First, jointly reflect on the mission and vision: what is the organization's raison d'être; why do you do what you do and what do you want to achieve? Does the organization, through a positive mission, have an impact on the lives of others?
2. Ensure good communication
Good communication is key. Engage in conversation with your regular employees: why do they work at your organization? How important is it that, through their work, they are of service to the world? Don’t forget your future employees either: what is important to them? So look closely at the people within your organization and choose an approach that fits their personal drivers. Then create an organizational culture that supports this by making choices that do justice to the organization’s purpose. With a strong societal mission you ensure that talent is attracted to you and stays with you.
3. Make it measurable
Measuring purpose gives a boost to confidence in the organization and so you can be sure that you know how to connect the needs of your employees and the organization with each other. For example, develop a framework to integrally incorporate the societal mission into the business strategy and KPIs for reporting. That way you can initiatives evaluate , adjust where necessary and measure progress.
