Rob Cairns: Owner, Rob Cairns Consulting
First, I think consistency will be important. If you’re going to tell one staff member it’s not permitted, then it would be a good idea to create a policy to that effect and make sure it is applied equally to all.
Nothing riles up the troops like an inconsistent application of the “rules,” particularly if it’s OK for the boss, but not for others. If you’re not willing to apply the policy to everyone equally, then it would be better not to create the policy.
Second, I would ask, has anyone complained about it? If there’s no rule against it, and no one has raised a concern about it, why limit the flexibility of your staff to support their favorite charities?
If you are worried that some staff are bothered by this behaviour, even though they have not complained, find a way to ask for input anonymously. For example, you could say you are considering implementing a policy and would like to hear their thoughts.
The last strategy to consider before writing up that policy is: might it be possible to provide direct feedback to the one or two people in the office who consistently ask for donations, and thereby avoid the need for a policy?
For this to work, the staff member(s) involved will need to be able to grasp what is for many a difficult concept. That is, the distinction between requests and demands. If I ask “Would you be willing to support my charity,” was that a request or a demand? My answer: it depends. If you say no, and I then apply pressure of some sort (emotional pressure being a favourite), it was a demand, not a request.
Intrigued?
Read more about this important distinction in Marshall Rosenberg’s book Non-Violent Communication
Brad Herbert: Executive coach, HR consultant
Creating an attractive workplace is made up of many elements, but corporate social responsibility (CSR) continues to grow in importance for many people, particularly younger employees. CSR can include corporate donations of cash and volunteering as well as facilitating employees’ fundraising for personal causes while at work. Creating some simple guidelines for employees allows creativity to flow and morale to grow while avoiding headaches for employers.
Leaders can start by clarifying their organization’s CSR vision and management-sponsored programs and activities. There’s no need to have a list of approved causes, although it’s helpful to identify focal areas, budget and process. Employee-sponsored causes can be different from management’s. In fact, encouraging broad contribution across charities and programs can be very energizing for employees. A good practice is to avoid anything that looks like sponsored gambling (50/50 draws) and allow only sponsorship of registered charities that align with your employment policies and corporate values and brand. You can then share those guidelines and opportunities via your new hire onboarding processes, employee handbook, intranet, dedicated email aliases, educated managers, CSR teams and company “town halls.”
Have fun with it; encourage your employees to be creative and recruit coworkers. Raising funds with colleagues builds friendships that can benefit collaboration, knowledge sharing and retention. As an example, a hack-a-thon can build awareness of others’ expertise, increase coding skills and raise cash in a relatively short time.
Finally, consider sharing some of the fun via your organization’s social media channels as a way for customers and potential employees to get to know your organization.
Jim Evans: Chairman, Workplace Centre for Spiritual and Ethical Development
An employee wishing to raise awareness or solicit funds for an outside charity or cause needs permission from his or her employer and should not expect the employer to allow it. The employer has every right to establish limits on the disbursement/posting of materials and the timing/scope of the solicitation. Anything that takes place on the employer’s property and time or involves the company’s other employees or clients must be channelled through the employer.
The solicitation of donations from co-workers can range from raffle tickets or donations for a child’s soccer team to donations for a national charity. Besides the ethical issue of using company time for personal projects, requesting money or time from staff or clients can generate resentment.
The range of charitable giving has different emotional or political ramifications. Causes can range from a major medical condition such as cancer or heart disease to religious or spiritual practices. At one end you have a general societal agreement, and on the other end there is a wide variety, with potential disagreement about what is acceptable to discuss in the workplace.
An employee on a mission would do well to convince his or her employer to adopt the cause as the company’s own; we all know businesses that have sponsored runs/rides/walks for a variety of causes. A savvy employer may want to support employees’ causes as a way to solidify and express a healthy, meaningful employee-employer relationship.
In response to such employee requests, an employer may want to arrange a time for the employees to discuss their views in a facilitated meeting. This can help avoid conflict, allow employees to find common ground or simply have a better understanding of their colleagues’ views.
