Avoid CSR burnout and keep employees motivated with effective strategies for a balanced workload.

Engage employees, a key stakeholder group, in defining priorities at the outset to inform the approach. Work with employees to determine together, how you can best and most practically engage them in your shared mission. Report back in a meaningful way regarding outcomes so that a sense of achievements can be shared.

Last updated on Aug 20, 2024

Employees are overwhelmed with CSR projects. How can you prevent burnout and maintain their motivation?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business model that helps a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. By practicing CSR, a company can be conscious of the kind of impact it is having on all aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental. In the realm of CSR, employee engagement is crucial, but with an ever-increasing load of projects, it's not uncommon for employees to feel overwhelmed, leading to burnout. Maintaining motivation and preventing burnout is essential for the sustainability of CSR initiatives.

1 Align Values

When your company's CSR initiatives align with your employees' personal values, their work becomes more than just a task; it becomes a passion. This alignment fosters a sense of purpose and fulfillment that can buffer against burnout. To achieve this, you need to understand what drives your employees and tailor CSR projects to resonate with their beliefs. Engage with them through surveys or workshops to discover what social issues they care about most and incorporate this feedback into your CSR strategy.

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Aurelia Figueroa

Breitling Chief Sustainability Officer | Board Member | Symbiocene advocate
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Engage employees, a key stakeholder group, in defining priorities at the outset to inform the approach. Work with employees to determine together, how you can best and most practically engage them in your shared mission. Report back in a meaningful way regarding outcomes so that a sense of achievements can be shared.

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Courtney Holm, Honorary Professor

Managing Director and Founder @ The Holm Edit | Honorary Professor @ The University of Exeter | Chair of the Board of Trustees @ The Orchard Project | Public Speaker
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Aligning organisational purpose with individual purpose is a decision employees make when joining an organisation. For employers, you can foster adoption during the recruitment process and for existing colleagues with an immersive experience. Helping colleagues understand how they can know and align their purpose to the organisational ambition is a huge win for employee engagement and will enable retention and performance goals.

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Constanza García Madrid

Philanthropy Specialist with experience in strategic alliance coordination | Promoting social impact and corporate collaboration | Community engagement
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It is important to work collaboratively with employees to know their motivations and interests to participate in these activities and thus manage initiatives that are to their liking in order to have a call for participants.

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2 Set Boundaries

To prevent burnout, it's critical to establish clear boundaries around CSR workloads. Encourage your employees to take regular breaks and respect their off-hours by not expecting them to answer calls or emails about CSR projects. This respect for personal time not only prevents burnout but also promotes a healthier work-life balance, which is in itself a CSR goal. By setting these boundaries, you demonstrate that you value their well-being as much as their contributions to social responsibility.

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3 Provide Support

Offering robust support systems is key to keeping employees motivated in their CSR endeavors. This could include providing access to mental health resources, training on managing stress, or even having a dedicated CSR support team. The presence of support signals to your employees that the company is invested in their well-being and recognizes the challenges of balancing CSR projects with their regular duties.

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4 Recognize Efforts

Recognition of the hard work your employees put into CSR projects can go a long way in maintaining motivation. Simple acts of acknowledgment, such as thank-you notes, awards, or mentions in company meetings, can boost morale and encourage continued participation. Ensure that these recognitions are genuine and reflect the value that their efforts bring to the company and the community.

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Constanza García Madrid

Philanthropy Specialist with experience in strategic alliance coordination | Promoting social impact and corporate collaboration | Community engagement
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After each activity, it is important that all participants receive recognition from their leaders or team in order to maintain motivation, and highlighting these initiatives in internal communication channels also helps to motivate others to participate.

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Rikke Mikkelsen

I am your partner in Strategic Impact Branding, communication, storytelling, design, and facilitation. Focused on creating cohesive solutions that creates value for everyone.
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Let’s have a discussion about the term ‘hard work’. I believe we need to discover new terms and words. Perceptions af needing to work hard to be of value.

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5 Empower Choices

Empowering your employees to make choices about which CSR projects they want to be involved in can significantly enhance their engagement and prevent feelings of being overwhelmed. When employees have a say in the projects they work on, they are more likely to be enthusiastic and committed. Provide a variety of CSR options and allow for flexibility in how they contribute, whether it's through volunteering time, offering expertise, or other forms of participation.

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Rikke Mikkelsen

I am your partner in Strategic Impact Branding, communication, storytelling, design, and facilitation. Focused on creating cohesive solutions that creates value for everyone.
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We are so determined to put people’s skills and competencies in boxes. I believe we need to open these boxes and challenge ways of working across titlens and silos.

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6 Manage Workload

Finally, actively managing the workload associated with CSR projects is essential. This may involve setting realistic goals, prioritizing projects based on impact and resources, and ensuring that no employee is overloaded with responsibilities. Regular check-ins can help you gauge whether the workload is manageable and adjust as needed. By keeping an eye on the demands placed on your employees, you'll help them stay engaged without burning out.

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Constanza García Madrid

Philanthropy Specialist with experience in strategic alliance coordination | Promoting social impact and corporate collaboration | Community engagement
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Granting volunteer days off is key for employees to see that the company has a commitment to their communities, where each employee can define what to do on those days and who to support. It should also be aligned with the values and interests of the company, that they have the facility to participate without this being an impediment to leave their work aside and that these activities are realistic, in a sense of time and resources needed that do not mean an exhaustion of the employee to participate.

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Employees are overwhelmed with CSR projects. How can you prevent burnout and maintain their motivation?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Align Values

2 Set Boundaries

3 Provide Support

4 Recognize Efforts

5 Empower Choices

6 Manage Workload

Corporate Social Responsibility

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Employees are overwhelmed with CSR projects. How can you prevent burnout and maintain their motivation?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Align Values

2 Set Boundaries

3 Provide Support

4 Recognize Efforts

5 Empower Choices

6 Manage Workload

Corporate Social Responsibility

Rate this article

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