How to Reward Employees with CSR Actions that Matter: Introducing Sociabble Trees

Employees are most engaged when they feel that what they’re doing matters, and that their company shares their values. Sociabble Trees is a CSR tool that rewards workers and boosts engagement—all while helping the planet.

Engagement is a major indicator of performance, both for individual employees, and for the company as a whole. Businesses with an engaged workforce just perform better. And while there are many ways to accomplish this, like bonuses or other monetary rewards, one of the most effective is to find CSR causes that employees care about and incorporate them into a recognition program—it’s good for employee morale and good for the planet.

Here at Sociabble, we’re especially proud of our Sociabble Trees program. It’s designed to promote employee engagement and awareness by rewarding them in a way that’s meaningful, durable, and unique.

What are good employee rewards & recognition programs?

Employee engagement can be improved in many ways—there isn’t one magic bullet to get workers involved in company life. It can be increased by establishing clear goals, providing meaningful feedback and recognition, creating an empowering work environment, promoting open communication, offering flexible working arrangements, and by celebrating successes. And when it comes to rewarding success, employees do often respond well to bonuses such as salary increases, extra days off, educational activities, and more.

But actions like these may not be easy to put in place. And many employees—Gen Z’ers and Millennials in particular—have been shown to demonstrate a strong preference for employers who they feel share their values and are making a tangible difference.

For example, according to an Ernst & Young study, 63% of Generation Z employees say it is very or extremely important to work for employers that shares their values. Only 32% say that making a lot of money in their career is a priority, or improves their employee performance. In short, talent acquisition and employee retention hinge on matching the prospect’s values.

One solution is CSR initiatives—corporate social responsibility drives that get employees involved and engaged in company life, improving society and the environment in the process—something virtually all employers need, and can get behind.

Jobs that allow employees to pursue their passions outside of work can not only attract more talented employees, but also help them maintain their productivity and well-being over the long term.Harvard Business Review, March 2022

Why linking employee engagement to CSR initiatives matters

There are a variety of ways to demonstrate the importance of CSR initiatives and the effects they have on employee performance and engagement, especially via a recognition program. But sometimes the numbers speak for themselves. Here are just a few stats that show the positive benefits CSR programs can bring to a workforce.

Essentially, meaningful CSR-based employee reward systems will build a stronger bond between employers and employees, and give those same employees and staff members a unique and positive motivation.

You’ll be helping to make the world a better place, and creating a more positive-minded, engaged workforce at the same time. Combined, that makes for one powerful tool!

Sociabble Trees: What it is, and why give trees to employees & staff

So how does Sociabble Trees help to increase engagement? Essentially, it is part of the larger employee reward systems built into the Sociabble platform, and it empowers companies to increase the direct involvement of their employees and staff while fighting deforestation by planting trees in fragile ecosystems all over the globe.

To achieve this and make the program come to life, Sociabble partnered with Tree Nation, an organization that specializes in reforestation initiatives worldwide. Sociabble Trees functions by attaching trees as employee rewards for specific actions, like posting original content, commenting on a post, excelling at a task, or attending a training seminar.

For each tree that is awarded to the employee on the digital platform, a physical tree is planted in their name, with a leaderboard attached so you can keep track of which employees are contributing the most to your company forest.

Forests can be monitored, and their growth can be tracked back to engagement, as demonstrated by individuals, or the company as a whole. Motivation is centered around the idea of people helping the planet by reforesting ecosystems that need it.

Recognition actions to motivate employees

We know what Sociabble Trees is, but what tangible benefits does it actually provide beyond being an employee reward idea? Why will this initiative mean more to people than, say, something like a gift card or an after-work, or other more material reward systems? Why will it provide more motivation?

Well, planting trees makes a real difference for the future of our planet, and that’s something everyone can support. More specifically, reforestation initiatives help with:

Carbon Offset

Trees convert CO2 to oxygen, reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. They play a major role in cancelling out industrial carbon emissions, which can be a motivating factor for employee involvement, and a meaningful way to help the planet overall.

Biodiversity

Planting different kinds of trees is a step toward creating biodiversity and rewilding areas that have previously been converted by people to farmland, both in terms of plants and the animals that rely on them. The initiatives aren’t simply about planting trees, but replacing forests and the many animals that call them home.

Reduce Erosion and Improve Water Quality

Tree roots help keep soil in place, reducing erosion, and also help stop run-off and soil from going into the water table, which in turn keeps drinking water cleaner. The water table is improved drastically by healthy forests.

Job Creation for Local Inhabitants

The planting of trees in our select forests also helps create employment opportunities in those regions. Current forest options include European, South American, and African forests, with the planting being conducted by on-the-ground teams focused on community needs.

How to reward and recognize employees with Sociabble Trees

Sociabble Trees is a fully-integrated part of the Sociabble employee communication platform. Given that fun employee rewards and competitions are already part of the system—employees can be awarded badges for attending trainings, sharing posts, creating content, etc.—Sociabble Trees fits seamlessly into the existing rubric.

Employees can be rewarded one symbolic tree badge for every tree that’s planted in their name. It can be automatic, or at the admin’s discretion for individual efforts.

In turn, companies that participate in the Sociabble Trees program can keep track of their own corporate forest, decide where and what type of trees will be planted, and even see their carbon off-set thanks to their own employee rewards.

This is ultimately why the program is so successful—it not only gives positive reinforcement to employees who engage and exhibit helpful employee behaviors, it also yields a positive result, something employees can be proud of and find meaning in, thus boosting engagement significantly.

Examples of employee rewards with Sociabble Trees                                    

Sociabble Trees ensures that you can engage your employees year-round. Commitment to sustainability isn’t a one-time thing.

Which begs the question, what kind of actions or services merit the employee reward of trees planted in the individual’s name?

Sociabble as an overall employee engagement solution

Sociabble Trees is just one feature of the larger Sociabble platform, an employee communication and employee advocacy solution designed to create informed, engaged, and influential employees.

Sociabble serves as a central communications hub with administered communication channels and easy re-posting to social media, with features designed to boost employee interaction.

In the digital reality of today’s corporate world, paper newsletters, group emails, and even intranets alone simply won’t cut it. Companies have unique informational needs.

Sociabble is backed up by methodology as well, with step-by-step guidance for your launch and adoption, and a team of CSM professionals ready to assist. Sociabble has already helped industry leaders like Coca-Cola CCEP, Renault Group, Primark, and L’Occitane en Provence enhance their employee communication, and we’d love to discuss what we can do for you.