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VEGAS INC COVER STORY VOLUNTEERS, FROM PAGE 1 But volunteerism also can positively impact a business's bottom line. ¶ It can help attract and retain top talent. It can foster teamwork among employees. And it can raise a company's profile among consumers. ¶ Simply put, allowing and encouraging workers' philanthropy makes good business sense, experts say. ¶ For many businesses, philanthropy is an important part of company culture. ¶ "You do it for two rea- sons," said Steve McCracken, a senior vice president with Bank of America, who helps organize the company's local volunteer efforts. "The first is, it's the right thing to do for the community. Inherently, it's a good thing. The second thing is, from an employee satisfaction standpoint, knowing that the company they work for cares about them enough to give them the time off to volunteer makes them feel better about the company and their community." ¶ Bank of America gives its workers two paid hours each week to volunteer at an organization of their choice, whether it's a school, church or nonprofit group. ¶ Giving employees paid time off to encourage volunteerism is a fairly common approach, particularly for larger corporations. But experts say incentives don't always need to be monetary, and less formal programs also can be effective, especially for small- and medium-sized businesses. "Ultimately you have to create a cul- ture where it's easy to volunteer," said Anne Hanson, president of CamCris Consulting, a Las Vegas-based business consulting firm. "It becomes something that you value." Communicating, setting goals and allowing employees to have a say in what causes they want to support all encourage a culture of volunteerism in a workplace, Hanson said. "If employers tell employees where to volunteer, it's really not volunteer- ing," McCracken said. McCracken recommends business- es instead find broad causes that appeal to many employees, then focus on spe- cific projects related to that cause. At Bank of America, a council of "You do it for two reasons. The first is, it's the right thing to do for the community. Inherently, it's a good thing. The second thing is, from an employee satis- faction standpoint, knowing that the company they work for cares about them enough to give them the time off to volunteer makes them feel better about the company and their community. " STEVE MCCRACKEN, SENIOR V.P. WITH BANK OF AMERICA 14 employees from various Las Vegas branches meets regularly to plan and organize events for the company's 2,000 local employees. The council includes all levels of employees, from tellers to executives. Last year, local Bank of America employees volun- teered more than 10,000 hours to char- itable causes. "Kids are always kind of a uniting factor for us," McCracken said. "It's easy to take on too many projects. It's about finding the right balance, choos- ing the right projects to deliver the maximum return." The simplest benefit of encourag- ing employees to volunteer is that it can improve a company's image, both internally and externally. Employees tend to feel more engaged and connected to a business that supports them beyond the office, Hanson said. They appreciate employ- ers who give them an opportunity to give back. "There's a strong positive relation- ship between employee engagement and satisfaction and customer satis- faction," she said. "It translates to the way your employees treat your custom- ers, which ultimately has an impact on profits." And being recognized as a company that supports its community is good for public relations. Customers with increasing frequency are basing busi- ness decision on companies' ethics. It also can be an effective tool to recruit talent, said Karen Sumberg, executive vice president at the nonprof- it Center for Talent Innovation in New York. "Employees want to feel like the company is doing good, that they work for a place that is modeling the behav- iors they aspire to," Sumberg said. Volunteer activities also can serve as great teamwork and skill-building SEE COMMUNITY, PAGE 16 | 6 AUGUST 2012 |