Social Mission Trumps Money For Gen Y

 Over 70 per cent of organisations surveyed feel that Corporate Social Responsibility is an very effective engagement tool for Gen Y’ers

Digital natives believe in social good!

“I really admire Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using his birthday to help the flood victims of J&K” said 23-year old Neha digging into her sprout salad at her office canteen, sparking off a lively lunchtime conversation on how everyone was coming together to support those in crisis.

The new generation at the workplace is reshaping capitalism – profits have to be coupled with social responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a key tool in engaging Gen Y, according to a recent TimesJobs.com survey. More than 70 per cent organisations believe that it is a powerful engagement tool for Generation Y. This points to the fact that the younger lot is more loyal and more trusting of an organisation that contributes to the society at large.

In fact, 50 per cent of organisations across sectors have already initiated programs where they allow employees to devote some time during their official working hours to CSR activities reports TimesJobs research. While over 50 per cent of IT & Telecom organisations indicated that they employ CSR activities quite frequently to engage Gen Y, only 30 per cent organisations in BFSI do so. In the Automobile sector, the views are divided; only 50 per cent organisations indicated that they use CSR activities often to engage Gen Y. 

New Generation, New Ideas

“CSR today is not just a mere act of philanthropy but a crucial and effective engagement tool, to attract and retain a motivated workforce. This is one of the key reasons why many organisations are planning to launch CSR programs as part of their employee engagement strategy in the near future.” Explains Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com

“Our own group has set up the Times Foundation, as a platform for engaging on critical national imperatives to sensitize on issues, enhance public awareness and facilitate meaningful dialogues for addressing these causes. Initiatives such as “Teach India” and “I Lead India” campaigns have seen big participation from our employees.” adds Madhukar.

 “Social responsibility is no longer just a mandate from the government as part of a company’s policy but has become something very real. Today’s youth is not just driven by passion for work but they are also considerate about giving back to the society at large,” says Sameer Parwani, founder & CEO CounponDunia.

 “CSR helps to create positive vibes with Gen Y, channelising their immense energy into a benefit for the community and satisfying their urge to make a difference. Other obvious positive benefits associated are improved collaboration, camaraderie and a sense of pride in them that their organisation cares for things beyond business,” says Niketh Sundar, Sr VP-Global HR, QuEST Global. He adds that at QuEST, positive change is engineered through educational initiatives and from contribute to the needy, like the recent Kashmir floods.