Engaging employees in volunteerism through communication: A case study of Globe Telecom, Inc.

Abstract

Business has become, in the last half century, one of the most powerful institutions. As a consequence, businessmen need to be more than technicians in performing functions. Social responsibility, thus, becomes an important issue. Employee volunteerism has gained momentum as a critical component of corporate social responsibility. It involves a company encouraging employees to take part in voluntary activity. Studies regarding corporate social responsibility and volunteerism programs are extensive. However, it is significant that internal communication of these programs is not given much interest. Thus, this research’s main objective is to provide a descriptive account of how a company engages its employees in volunteerism through communication. The specific objectives are 1) to identify the objectives of the company in engaging employees in volunteerism, 2) to determine how the company plans its strategic communication, 3) to identify the messages the company conveys to its employees and how these are structured, 4) to identify the communication channels used to engage their employees, 5) to describe the responses of the employees to the volunteerism program and its communication effort and, 6) to determine if the objectives are met by the employees based on their responses. Globe Telecom was chosen to be the subject because it is one of the few corporations in the Philippines which have an established volunteerism program and they recognize the need to engage their employees in it. This study used Argenti’s (1998) Corporate Communication Strategy Model, which illustrates how different elements, such as organization, message/channel, constituencies, and constituents’ response affect the success of the communication. This research is highly qualitative thus the key-informant interview and focus group discussions were employed. The interview was with the Employee Programs Head since he is the one who initiates the communication effort. Four (4) focus group discussions were also conducted with several employees, with four (4) to six (6) participants each, to elicit their responses. From the results, it is evident that Globe Telecom has objectives in engaging employees in volunteerism. It also revealed that there is systematic planning and sufficient budget for the implementation. Internally, Globe Telecom employs communication channels to obtain their objectives. The company uses the ICON (Intranet), electronic mail, text blasts, top leaders, word-of-mouth, posters, fliers, memos, merchandise materials, events, and seminars. It has also been shown that the messages are structured in a direct, persuasive and targeted manner. The focus group discussions showed that the employees are well-informed and updated of the volunteerism program. Both the volunteers and nonvolunteers are well- equipped with sufficient information. All the respondents consider the program necessary for the company, the employees, and the communities they serve because of its benefits. They also see the need to communicate the program and engage the employees in it. In terms of their responses, it was evident that both groups were encouraged to participate in the volunteerism program however, there were some factors that hinder the nonvolunteers to join. Based on the narratives of the respondents, the objectives of the company in engaging their employees in volunteerism were satisfied, but still majority believes that they should always strive for continuous development.