Ghandi said, "The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others." While Valentine's Day is generally celebrated by personal relationships and uncelebrated in the business world, as most leading sustainable business strategists know, challenging assumptions leads to innovative insights. Why not share the love on Valentine's Day as a means to engage with key stakeholders in the community?
Business sustainability is noted as providing solutions to complex problems; specifically in business and community development. It can create solutions sparked by unusual pairings. Consider the proposition that a business can grow by partnering with with suppliers, customers, and employees to collectively contribute to the local community for a common cause. As noted in our business sustainability programs, these kinds of partnerships lead to beneficial back scratching. Organizations working together allow sustainability plans to synergize in a way neither organization can achieve on its own and also powerfully contribute on a local level.
Another option? Corporate volunteering. Corporate volunteers are valuable knowledge brokers uniting the sustainable business interests of the business with the interest of the community. Information, knowledge sharing, shared experiences, and ongoing discussion provides for individual empowerment, meaningful work, and engaged employees. The process of uniting employees with community offers opportunities to creatively work together to forward common objectives. Engaging employees in corporate volunteer programs transforms the corporate vision into tangible, qualified action. By tying corporate sustainability initiatives to day to day processes, it makes a corporate sustainability plan more personable to an employee and helps employees to identify their role in corporate responsibility. The vision is experienced differently with an emotional link formed between the employee, the organization, and community.
With the essence of Valentine's Day being one of love and appreciation, perhaps engaging employees in the community via volunteering is a way for business to celebrate Valentine's Day every day.
Learn more about employee volunteering and workplace giving:
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