Whether through weekend spa retreats, extreme sports or virtuoso karaoke performances, HR Directors will be familiar with the importance of discovering new exercises that build teams, refresh employees and give staff the opportunity to try a new challenge. For those who are looking for an ‘extra-curricular’ activity that ticks all the boxes, CSR can be the perfect solution.
At Volunteer Reading Help (VRH), supporting learning is central to all we do. A national charity, we recruit, train and support volunteers to work in primary schools with children who are struggling with their reading. The children’s progress – and sheer enjoyment – is inspiring, and our brilliant volunteers find it a rewarding and fascinating experience.
So it was natural that when we came to design our new Corporate Challenge, we wanted it to be a worthwhile learning and development experience for the teams involved. Organisations participating in the Corporate Challenge are set the task of raising £10,000 in six months – a feat that requires ingenuity, energy and the ability to dust oneself off and carry on after a setback. These are all attitudes that are highly prized in business and CSR is the perfect way to develop them by giving employees the chance to work outside their comfort zone.
The Corporate Challenge creates cross-company teams who may well not have worked together before – however, they need to establish team goals and share out responsibilities quickly in order to hit the ground running. Learning to bond as a brand new team by defining how individuals’ strengths fit into the bigger picture is a key outcome of this process.
Next, teams are introduced to their corporate mentor and must identify how to make the best use of his or her time, what questions to ask and how to implement their guidance. As corporate coaching continues to increase in popularity, employees who feel comfortable with asking for advice and making the most of it will thrive.
Teams taking part in thought-provoking CSR activities will frequently find themselves called upon to take risks and push themselves – but with the safety net of knowing that if plans don’t come to fruition, this will impact their fundraising total without harming the business itself. This can free employees up to think big and try something completely new. For example, one team in our inaugural Corporate Challenge was made of staff from across HarperCollins, but none of them were themselves publishers. Undaunted, the team set about creating a publishing product from scratch, and proceeds from the sale of their innovative and beautiful set of recipe cards, The Food Files, are still coming in.
The different elements of the Challenge include presenting to VRH’s very own ‘Dragon’s Den’, coming up with creative ideas for events and products, managing a budget and taking on personal sporting challenges to raise funds. With such a diverse schedule packed into just six months, hiccups and setbacks can occur; developing the ability to bounce back and learn from mistakes is one of the most important personal strengths and something that a CSR project such as the Corporate Challenge can offer in spades.
CSR can – and should – be more than a feel-good exercise. Our inaugural teams created bespoke products, completed sky dives and supported our aims by organising a schools’ read-a-thon. Our winning team, Vestra Wealth, even persuaded other businesses from across the City to shed their suits for a 24-team Dodgeball tournament – in fancy dress and with a children’s literature theme!
The result of this year’s Corporate Challenge was phenomenal, with all three participating organisations doubling their target to raise a combined total of £60,000. Entries for next year’s Challenge – running from February to July 2013 – are now open and companies looking for a fresh, invigorating and worthwhile learning and development activity can find more information on our website.
