Giving Compass' Take:

• Sharon Lipinski, writing for B the Change, describes how creating a culture of generosity at the community, individual, and corporate level can transform the workplace. 

• How does generosity translate into a better work ethic? How do CSR missions benefit from a more generous work culture?

• Read about some other ideas on how to create a more generous business. 

In January 2015, the Journal of Organizational Behavior published a study that confirms how culture impacts a company’s performance. Researchers followed 95 independently owned car dealers from across the U.S. Though they sold the same products, the dealerships with a better workplace culture had higher customer service ratings and sold more cars.

Culture is a company’s competitive edge, but creating one that facilitates productivity, employee engagement and profit can prove challenging.

  1. Community
    Corporate philanthropy is an opportunity for an organization and its employees to make an impact on their community. A shared and inspiring philanthropic mission creates purpose, vision and the experience of belonging to something greater than oneself.
  2. Corporation
    If employees are working 40 hours a week, there’s a good chance they’re spending as much or more time with their coworkers as they are with their families. Just like at home, conflict can arise at the workplace.  A culture of conflict can be transformed when employees engage in generous actions like mentoring new employees, championing their coworkers’ ideas and sharing their insights and expertise while giving credit to others and celebrating their successes.
  3. Individual
    Employees who give themselves what they need to be physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy have greater physical energy and emotional stability to bring to their personal and professional lives. Employees who don’t take care of their well-being can burn out and get resentful, angry, or even sick.

When you create a workplace where employees are generous to themselves, their co-workers and their community, you create a workplace engaged with a sense of purpose and guided by a deep sense of community with the mental, emotional and spiritual resources employees need to sustain their work.

Read the full article about creating a culture of generosity by Sharon Lipinski at B the Change