Company Culture and Corporate Social Responsibility: Building Stronger Connections with Employees and the Community

The importance of a strong company culture isn’t a new concept. It sets the tone for your organization as well as a standard for what’s expected from employees and managers. Creating a company culture that’s aligned with your organization’s overall mission and core values can also construct a well-lit path towards great service and a more reputable brand. Perhaps even more important is the shift seen in employee morale as they receive clear objectives and consistent rewards.

Empowering employees is one of the founding principles of our culture at CSI. We give our team guidelines but we give them even more freedom. We put the responsibility of integrity and smart decision-making squarely on our employee’s shoulders, mainly because we trust them. That’s why we hired them after all. This trust is the key to their success and why we continue to see a positive trend in attitudes across departments. Employees don’t view their time at the office as just a list of tasks to suffer through as they watch the clock. Instead, they are actualizing the essential role they play within the organization, and witnessing how their ability to take ownership and lead with their strengths gives positive dimension and purpose to their long-term career with us.

Another core component of this culture-driven philosophy is our focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). By engaging in CSR initiatives, we pave the way for our employees to get more involved in their communities. The goal is to provide an avenue where important social and economic issues can be explored by the company as a whole and action can be taken on an individual level to effect change. Ultimately, our push towards CSR becomes a common denominator that attracts and retains quality employees, customers, and partners who share our value system.

CSI’s recent acquisition by Edenred underscores the level of opportunity that a dynamic company culture and CSR commitment can garner. Without this common thread of complimentary company cultures, things may not have synthesized so smoothly between our employees and global offices, or throughout newly integrated departments. But they did mesh perfectly and now we are pulling together globally in anticipation of a mutual goal that punctuates our commitment to CSR and a purpose-driven company culture.

One of Edenred’s largest and most impressive CSR initiatives, Idealday, which was launched in 2017, is about to kick-off for a third year. Idealday brings together hundreds of people in the pursuit of one goal and allows employees to demonstrate acts of solidarity during their working hours. For one day, employees are encouraged to participate in a global initiative that supports local communities in 39 countries.

The Idealday movement encompasses three development initiatives including Idealpeople, Idealplanet, and Idealprogress. This three-tiered activism plan aims to improve quality of life, preserve the environment, and support responsibility in forward movement that creates sustainable communities around the world. This year, on June 19, nearly 70 initiatives will be conducted worldwide addressing a range of issues including diversity, education, human rights, employment, nutrition, hunger, health, mobility, energy and climate, food waste, plastic waste, and pollution.

CSI is very active in the communities surrounding our various offices, and Edenred’s initiative gives us one more reason to dive deeper on behalf of several key organizations. This year, as part of Idealday, CSI will be supporting the Bonita Springs Ministries for Homeless, Naples Animal Shelter, Lee County Homeless Coalition meal sites, New York City Pantry Distribution in East Harlem, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Sioux Falls Homeless Shelter, Denver Dumb Friends League Animal Shelter, and the Dallas Food Bank Mobile Delivery.

Last year, 6,159 employees were mobilized in 39 countries with 62 initiatives for 48 non-profit organizations supported. Of that, 1,748 external stakeholders were involved and 2.9 million people were reached on social media. This year’s goal is to do even more.

As we work with Edenred for the first time to break last year’s record, we can already feel the excitement building internally as our company comes together with an intangible feeling of pride.  This team spirit, if you will, is reminding us all what company culture really means to us and how lucky we are to experience it every day.

We hope you’ll join us in creating a likeminded CSR initiative within your organization that ultimately will help you build a rewarding and enduring company culture.

Interested in learning more about Idealday? Click here.

Want to join the CSI team? Check out our career opportunities here.