Social responsibility programs have positive impact Study

ET SPECIAL:Love visual aspect of news? Enjoy this exclusive slideshows treat! MUMBAI: When organisations include social responsibility programs within their leadership development efforts, it delivers results, a comprehensive global study released today by the Hay Group division of Korn Ferry has found.

The survey, which includes data from more than 7,500 business and HR leaders in 107 countries, found that across all leadership levels, an average of only 36% of employees are "highly engaged". The survey also found that leveraging a social responsibility agenda to develop leaders can help reverse this trend.

The vast majority (87%) of respondents say that linking an organisation's social responsibility efforts to leadership development has a positive impact on overall engagement and performance. Unfortunately, only 59% of respondents say their organisations actually do link the two.

We have been working with clients in India and Asia Pacific on Leadership Development which has components of social responsibility built in. These programs have delivered very high impact. What matters most to generation X and millennial employees is the ability to make a difference within an organization or to make an impact on the business," Gaurav Lahiri, Regional Director, Korn Ferry Hay Group said in a release.

A separate Korn Ferry study shows that the top factor that improves people's feelings about their job is working for a company whose culture aligns with their values. This is especially true for younger workers, as another Korn Ferry study shows the number one reason millennials choose one job over another is visibility and buy-in to the mission/vision of an organisation.

If an organisation wants to win the current war for talent and retain valuable employees, then it needs to ensure that they constantly feel inspired. Employees need to view themselves as part of a big picture and this is where the social responsibility platform can help," said Nitin Razdan, Country Head, Korn Ferry Hay Group.