Social impact statements communicate the initiatives, projects and programs carried out by organisations, often supported by the procurement function, to improve the wellbeing of people’s lives, groups and communities. Having a genuine commitment to corporate social responsibility can have a significant impact on employee attitudes and behaviours.
Reflex has been Australian Made since its launch in 1984 and continues to advocate the power of social responsibility through its impact statements. Written in collaboration with Reflex, here are five ways social impact statements can engage your employees to do good and feel good.
Encourage a greater understanding of social impact objectives
By communicating your organisation’s corporate social responsibility plan and sharing success stories along the way, you help employees gain a better understanding of your impact and measurable social targets. This can have a flow-on effect and motivate employees to play a direct role in supporting it.
Interest in social accountability has trended upwards as Australians have expressed a longing to see businesses play a stronger role in tackling key societal issues. According to a survey of over 1,200 Australian employees, 69% agree a businesses’ societal impact and financial performance are interlinked but only 34% are satisfied with the degree to which their employers are addressing CSR issues.1
Obtain stronger organisational identification
Organisational identification is the link between an employee’s sense of belonging in their organisation and the shared mutual values and norms.
When employees know their organisation has taken on social responsibility and accountability, they feel a deeper connection to their work, experience a greater sense of identity with the organisation and are generally happier in the workplace.2
Achieve higher employee engagement and morale
Social impact programs allow organisations to engage employees on varying levels. Achieving greater employee engagement can strengthen relationships, enhance morale and even help build stronger expertise. Findings reveal that on average, highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability, 41% less absenteeism and 59% less turnover.3
Furthermore, one study found that implementing both social and environmental impact programs result in higher employee engagement and morale, increasing productivity by up to 13%.4
Attract talent that aligns with your organisation’s social values
Your organisation’s social performance not only has a significant impact on employee engagement but can affect talent retention and acquisition as well.
One survey discovered 2,000 respondents said they would be willing to take a 15% pay cut to join a company making a social or environmental change and 51% said a sense of social purpose is very important for their ideal job.5
By building a strong workplace culture founded on giving back to the community, your organisation is in a better position to attract employee talent that aligns with your core values.
Enable employees to give back to the community
Enabling employees to give back to the community and support their favourite causes has a powerful effect. A survey revealed 85% of employees think it’s important to give back through the workplace and 42% of young Australians want to work for an organisation that strives to positively impact the world.6
One powerful way workplaces can positively impact the environment is through considered procurement strategies. Wherever possible, choose local suppliers and encourage employees to do the same to minimise carbon emissions. Since its launch in 1984, Reflex has been Australian Made, offering recycled copy paper products that support the circular economy. Reflex products are manufactured at Australian Paper’s Maryvale Mill, which has a recycling facility that prevents up to 80,000 tonnes of paper waste from going into landfill each year – saving up to 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.7
The social impact of Australian Paper
By choosing locally made Australian paper, you contribute to Australia’s social, economic and environmental wellbeing – and the results might surprise you.
Once you commence buying significant quantities of Reflex paper through Winc, Australian Paper can prepare a social impact statement for your organisation to demonstrate the benefit you are creating through these purchases.* Social impact statements are available for customers who purchase at least one tonne of paper per year, which is equivalent to 400 reams or 80 cartons of A4 paper.
Whether it’s the number of jobs you’ve helped create, the amount of money you’ve pumped back into the local economy or the amount of carbon emissions you’ve been able to offset, Australian Paper can quantify your organisation’s contribution in an annual paper impact statement.
Want to find out your organisation’s social impact? Get in touch if you’re interested in buying Reflex copy paper from Winc and working with Australian Paper to create social impact statements for your organisation.
*To know more about the Social Impact Statement qualification criteria, contact the team at Winc newbusiness@winc.com.au
References
1Wong, E., 2020, ‘Why does Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) matter for businesses?’, https://dynamicbusiness.com/topics/small-business-resources/why-does-corporate-social-responsibility-csr-matter-for-businesses.html
2Griek, O.V., 2017, ‘6 Ways Corporate Social Responsibility Benefits Your Employees’, https://socapglobal.com/2017/08/6-ways-corporate-social-responsibility-benefits-employees/
3Beheshti, N., 2019, ‘10 Timely Statistics About The Connection Between Employee Engagement And Wellness’, https://www.forbes.com/sites/nazbeheshti/2019/01/16/10-timely-statistics-about-the-connection-between-employee-engagement-and-wellness/?sh=6e876df822a0
4Dassel, K., Wang, X., 2016, ‘Social purpose and value creation. The business returns of social impact’, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ru/Documents/risk/social-purpose-and-value-creation-en.pdf
5Dassel, K., Wang, X., 2016, ‘Social purpose and value creation. The business returns of social impact’, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ru/Documents/risk/social-purpose-and-value-creation-en.pdf
6Redkite, 2021, ‘Experience the joy of giving’, https://www.redkite.org.au/support/workplace-giving/
7Packaging News, 2015, ‘Australian Paper makes 80,000 tonnes of landfill per year useful’, https://www.packagingnews.com.au/news/australian-paper-makes-80-000-tonnes-of-landfill-per-year-useful
