Involving Employees in CSR
Organizations today realize the importance of having a Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) policy; it’s seen as something that’s not just
‘good to have’, but as a ‘must have’. But being socially responsible
isn’t just about corporate philanthropy. It has now moved to a deeper
involvement of organizations in the communities in which they operate.
This is a positive shift, since the NGO movement in India now has a lot
of corporate backing and support, and this helps them to focus on their
core activities rather than worry about raising funds from individuals.
Though corporate involvement in community issues in India has grown over the years, individual involvement has lagged behind. Indians are known for religious charity -- some of our temples are the richest institutions in the world. Yet, when it comes to supporting communities or NGOs, we are far behind our western counterparts. While Corporate India is moving rapidly on the path of progress, there are large sections of India that are being left behind. It’s time to sensitize individuals, particularly those in the corporate sector, to the need to go beyond seeking personal affluence and contribute to the community. It’s time to go beyond ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ to ‘Individual Social Responsibility’.
Right from the very beginning, we at Mastek knew that we wanted to involve our employees in our Social Responsibility program; we wanted to create something that would appeal to a large section of employees. So rather than starting with the idea of supporting a ‘cause’, we began with the premise our employees should engage with the community and contribute what they could. This was in line with our driving principle of contributing to the world and making it a better place. It was also our belief that employee participation in community initiatives would help us create ‘holistic’ individuals and inspired leaders. Mastek’s Social Responsibility program arose from our very unique culture that empowers employees to become leaders. This is reflected in many of our HR policies, in which Mastekeers argue their own case for promotions, or opening unmoderated forums for employees on the Intranet where they can speak up on any issue.
A study we did at Mastek found that while software professionals were concerned about poverty and other social issues, they did nothing about it as they didn’t know what to do or how to do something about it. We also found that many individuals did not contribute because they were not sure whether the money would be used for the cause they had donated. Many individuals also wanted to do something for the community and were seeking ways to add meaning to their lives.
The findings convinced us that we could increase ‘giving’ by corporate employees if we could address these issues. We wondered if by sensitizing individuals to the issues facing the community and how to go about contributing would help, and the idea of ‘informed giving’ took root. If one is an ‘informed giver’ he/she would go beyond a one-time random act of charity to supporting a ‘cause’. Also, we figured out that we would have to give people options rather than force them to contribute to a particular cause, because each one of us has a different calling.
We launched the Mastek Foundation to promote ‘informed giving’ and ‘responsible receiving’. Mastek Foundation reserves a percentage of Mastek profits every year to promote this cause.
We started three years back with a unique online program for sensitizing individuals, which included a ten-module course that offered statistics on various social issues in India. The program had modules on NGOs working in various areas and how one could support them by volunteering. At the end of the course, the employee could choose the NGO of his/ her choice and go on a field visit. We partnered with over 20 different NGOs working in different areas so that our employees would have a choice.
We also initiated the ‘Spirit of Mastek Award’ for individuals from all walks of life who had gone out of their way to make a difference to the community. The hope was that this would inspire Mastekeers to contribute actively to social causes. Recipients of this award include Dr Ranade, Dr Rani and Abhay Bang, Dr Prakash Amte, Dr Jayaprakash Narayan and Sailesh Gandhi. They met, spoke to and encouraged our employees to go beyond individual gratification and contribute to the community.
The core idea of the Mastek Foundation was to inspire individuals; over time, we perfected the method to involve employees. We started with the payroll giving program, initiated desk-to-desk campaigns and NGO meals, each aimed at sensitizing employees. What we were doing at Mastek was unique; it went beyond CSR, and involved employees in the social responsibility efforts. This was a paradigm shift and a new experiment. We wanted to take it beyond a `feel-good’ program for employees to a life-transforming experience.
When I look back, I am proud and happy that we have come a long way. Over 70% of our offshore team is engaged with community initiatives in some way, and 100% of our workforce is sensitized to community issues. We will generate over Rs 16 lakh this year from the employee payroll giving program, we have an active volunteering initiative, and had the fortune to interact with individuals who are excellent examples of selfless contribution through the Spirit of Mastek Awards. We have succeeded in creating employees who look beyond professional success, and aim to become holistic individuals, who are sensitive to social issues and actively contribute to the community.
This is just the start; we have a long way to go. It is our dream to introduce this model to many organizations in India and replicate what we have done at Mastek. It is only then that we would be able get the satisfaction of having initiated a movement of ‘informed giving’ across India.
Though corporate involvement in community issues in India has grown over the years, individual involvement has lagged behind. Indians are known for religious charity -- some of our temples are the richest institutions in the world. Yet, when it comes to supporting communities or NGOs, we are far behind our western counterparts. While Corporate India is moving rapidly on the path of progress, there are large sections of India that are being left behind. It’s time to sensitize individuals, particularly those in the corporate sector, to the need to go beyond seeking personal affluence and contribute to the community. It’s time to go beyond ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ to ‘Individual Social Responsibility’.
Right from the very beginning, we at Mastek knew that we wanted to involve our employees in our Social Responsibility program; we wanted to create something that would appeal to a large section of employees. So rather than starting with the idea of supporting a ‘cause’, we began with the premise our employees should engage with the community and contribute what they could. This was in line with our driving principle of contributing to the world and making it a better place. It was also our belief that employee participation in community initiatives would help us create ‘holistic’ individuals and inspired leaders. Mastek’s Social Responsibility program arose from our very unique culture that empowers employees to become leaders. This is reflected in many of our HR policies, in which Mastekeers argue their own case for promotions, or opening unmoderated forums for employees on the Intranet where they can speak up on any issue.
A study we did at Mastek found that while software professionals were concerned about poverty and other social issues, they did nothing about it as they didn’t know what to do or how to do something about it. We also found that many individuals did not contribute because they were not sure whether the money would be used for the cause they had donated. Many individuals also wanted to do something for the community and were seeking ways to add meaning to their lives.
The findings convinced us that we could increase ‘giving’ by corporate employees if we could address these issues. We wondered if by sensitizing individuals to the issues facing the community and how to go about contributing would help, and the idea of ‘informed giving’ took root. If one is an ‘informed giver’ he/she would go beyond a one-time random act of charity to supporting a ‘cause’. Also, we figured out that we would have to give people options rather than force them to contribute to a particular cause, because each one of us has a different calling.
We launched the Mastek Foundation to promote ‘informed giving’ and ‘responsible receiving’. Mastek Foundation reserves a percentage of Mastek profits every year to promote this cause.
We started three years back with a unique online program for sensitizing individuals, which included a ten-module course that offered statistics on various social issues in India. The program had modules on NGOs working in various areas and how one could support them by volunteering. At the end of the course, the employee could choose the NGO of his/ her choice and go on a field visit. We partnered with over 20 different NGOs working in different areas so that our employees would have a choice.
We also initiated the ‘Spirit of Mastek Award’ for individuals from all walks of life who had gone out of their way to make a difference to the community. The hope was that this would inspire Mastekeers to contribute actively to social causes. Recipients of this award include Dr Ranade, Dr Rani and Abhay Bang, Dr Prakash Amte, Dr Jayaprakash Narayan and Sailesh Gandhi. They met, spoke to and encouraged our employees to go beyond individual gratification and contribute to the community.
The core idea of the Mastek Foundation was to inspire individuals; over time, we perfected the method to involve employees. We started with the payroll giving program, initiated desk-to-desk campaigns and NGO meals, each aimed at sensitizing employees. What we were doing at Mastek was unique; it went beyond CSR, and involved employees in the social responsibility efforts. This was a paradigm shift and a new experiment. We wanted to take it beyond a `feel-good’ program for employees to a life-transforming experience.
When I look back, I am proud and happy that we have come a long way. Over 70% of our offshore team is engaged with community initiatives in some way, and 100% of our workforce is sensitized to community issues. We will generate over Rs 16 lakh this year from the employee payroll giving program, we have an active volunteering initiative, and had the fortune to interact with individuals who are excellent examples of selfless contribution through the Spirit of Mastek Awards. We have succeeded in creating employees who look beyond professional success, and aim to become holistic individuals, who are sensitive to social issues and actively contribute to the community.
This is just the start; we have a long way to go. It is our dream to introduce this model to many organizations in India and replicate what we have done at Mastek. It is only then that we would be able get the satisfaction of having initiated a movement of ‘informed giving’ across India.
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