Reflection: The (Missing) Key to True Impact

Corporate Volunteering is mostly about activity - unfortunately. Like presenting a dozen roses on Valentine's Day to someone who doesn't want them, activity is worthless when its missing the regular practice of reflection.

Why do companies implement employee volunteering programs? I mean, really - why bother?

Most of us have heard at least bits and pieces of the long list of benefits that are said to accompany a solid EVP. For example, employees who volunteer are naturally more engaged overall with their jobs. The companies these kinds of employees work at experience 26% higher revenue per employee, 13% total higher total returns to shareholders, and a 50% higher market premium. (Read the article where these stats came from here.) Here's bunch more from the typical list:

Benefits of Corporate Volunteering:

• Improved community perception and marketing potential 
• Creation of positive culture of caring and community service 
• Improved communications as people from different sites, departments and levels of seniority work together on social community initiatives
• A license to operate through the approval of local community by the demonstration of good social policy practice
• Improved relationships with customers who increasingly demand information about corporate-citizenship activities
• More effective networking through community links
• Improved morale and motivation
• Lower staff turnover (which attracts and maintains good employees)
• Better company relations
• Positive effect on productivity
• Greater employee fulfillment
• Skill and ability increase for employees
• Reduced absenteeism and fewer labour stoppages
• Personal and professional growth which strengthens the workforce

Basically, the idea is that corporate volunteering begets engaged employees. And for companies who want to be seen as credible in their CSR strategy, employees are key. Especially lately - because lately, CSR is not just "nice to have." Lately, customers have started to expect your business to be socially responsible. When you want to influence your customer, where should you start? Your employees. It all circles back to the employees. (Read more about this in our interview with Carol Cone of Edelman.)

There is one, vital ingredient for realizing all these excellent benefits: Reflection.

Reflection

Reflection is the process of analyzing, questioning or reconsidering experiences within some type of framework (for example, poverty or homelessness). Reflection happens naturally immediately following any new activity as participants walk away, drive home, or discuss around the water cooler.

Despite the fact that we all reflect on our experiences to some degree or another, meaningful reflection (the kind that motivates change) is not always natural or easy. Sometimes we don’t know enough the issues to reflect on them in a meaningful way. Other times, we're busy and there’s just not a lot of time to just sit and consider what we’ve experienced. More often than not, we just don’t want to look stupid. Discussion is an important aspect of reflection and there's always a chance that in the course of conversation, we'll reveal how much we don't know. As colleagues, our lack of information is often the last thing we want to show each other.

But no reflection means no benefit. So, let's look at how to create safe and intentional space for critical reflection:

1. Hold casual “round table” meetings with everyone who volunteered to hear about their experience (I included some ideas for round table questions below.)
2. Have volunteer leaders present at a "Lunch & Learn" and explain what they did and why it was meaningful
3. Create social gatherings over lunch (or better yet, after work over beer) where employees can talk about volunteering with other employees who may be curious or want to share their concerns
4. Have volunteers write short blogs or use twitter to send out micro-blogs about their experiences. Be sure to have them invite questions and more dialogue on their thoughts.
5. Work with HR to incorporate reflection on these activities during performance reviews
6. Invite employees to include quotes or short blurbs about their experiences for the annual CSR report.

Here are some basic questions you may want to ask as part of a roundtable discussion to guide reflection:

1. Was your volunteering experience what you expected? 
2. Did you learn anything about yourself?
3. What kinds of things did you discover about the community you were working in?
4. What do you think your personal contributions were to the volunteering experience?
5. Have any of your values, opinions, beliefs been influenced by volunteering?
6. What is your biggest takeaway?
7. How have you been challenged?
8. What changes are you considering for yourself?

And if you'd like just a little more guidance toward reflective learning, here are a couple helpful sites:

A manual for facilitating reflection: http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/reflection_manual/

The theory behind reflection: http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/he_facts/he_reflection/

Introduction to developing reflective practice:

http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/resources/personal-development-planning/introduction

At Realized Worth we work with companies to design and implement outstanding employee volunteer programs. Contact us here: chrisjarvis@realizedworth.com, angela@realizedworth.com, 317.371.4435

Reflection: The (Missing) Key to True Impact