How to Build an Authentic Hotel CSR Strategy with Employee Input

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been part of business culture for decades, and expectations have only grown, especially in hospitality where hotels sit at the heart of their communities and directly affect the lives of both guests and employees. Today’s travelers, brands, and team members expect hotels to operate responsibly, support local needs, and create meaningful social impact that goes far beyond traditional philanthropy.

Whether your property is looking to launch a guest-facing volunteer initiative, strengthen community partnerships, or focus internally on improving employee well-being and working conditions, this guide offers practical steps to help you build a CSR program your teams will believe in and proudly stand behind.

Design employee-focused programs.

There are a few benefits of CSR for hotel employees, including increased job satisfaction, team cohesion, work-life balance, and an enhanced sense of purpose. These benefits are most apparent when businesses center employee participation in their CSR efforts.

For example, a few types of CSR programs that directly impact employees include:

• Improved working conditions. Ensuring employees are safe, well-compensated, and healthy not only increases their motivation to work but can also improve your business as a whole. After all, when employees feel supported, they’re far more likely to go the extra mile and stick with your business long-term.
• Volunteer efforts. Let employees make a difference in their communities themselves by launching volunteer programs. You might organize formal volunteer days or simply encourage independent volunteering by launching a volunteer grant or volunteer time off (VTO) program.
• Professional development programs. Providing employees with the resources they need to improve their skills and advance at your business can be a type of CSR program, especially if you hire populations with limited employment opportunities, such as formerly incarcerated individuals.

When selecting your CSR programs, it’s essential to understand what level of involvement most of your employees would prefer. Some employees might appreciate programs that are more hands-off. For instance, busy employees may want set-it-and-forget-it types of programs, like payroll giving, or feel satisfied knowing your business donates grants to local nonprofits on a regular basis.

Involve employees from the beginning.

Employees are far more likely to participate in and appreciate CSR programs that were created with their feedback in mind. As such, one of the first steps for creating your program should be to gather employee input.

To involve employees, you might:

• Survey team members. Let each employee express their thoughts in an independent survey. To get the most honest feedback possible, make these surveys anonymous. Or, if you would like to address specific concerns, ensure each employee’s name is attached to their response.
• Speak with department representatives. For larger hotels with several teams, meet with the leaders of each department. For example, you should include representatives from housekeeping, guest services, marketing, and security.
• Host a company-wide feedback session. For small hotels, bringing your entire team together to host an open Q&A, brainstorming, or workshopping session can be the most efficient way to collect feedback. In this approach, employees can easily respond to one another’s points and build on each other’s ideas.
• Communicate with employees using collaboration tools. Implement a platform, such as React Mobile’s two-way voice communication tool, that not only supports safety but also encourages daily collaboration and team connectivity.

When reaching out to your team, expect to receive a variety of viewpoints. For example, some employees might view CSR primarily through the lens of day-to-day operations, leading them to discuss burnout and health concerns. In contrast, others may focus on how your business can give back to the community, such as through operating more sustainably or launching a donation program.

Receiving mixed feedback may be overwhelming at first, but remember that you can always launch multiple CSR efforts. For instance, if employees express a desire for greater safety protocols and a new volunteer program, you could easily pursue both initiatives.

Celebrate and share employee impact.

When employees know your CSR program is making a tangible difference, they’re far more likely to buy into it. Keep momentum for your CSR program going strong by demonstrating impact through:

• Employee participation incentives. If employees see other members of your team participating in your CSR program, they’re more likely to get involved themselves. Celebrate employees who volunteer, enroll in a skills training program, or give through your donation matching efforts.
• Impact metrics. Hard numbers let leadership and employees know for sure whether your business’s CSR program is making a difference. Uncommon Giving's guide to corporate volunteer platforms recommends looking for CSR tools with reporting and hours tracking tools, so you can easily collect data and analyze it in one centralized location.
• Impact stories. If your business's CSR programs are dedicated to making a difference in your community, share stories from the nonprofits you support. Many charitable organizations will happily provide stories and data to corporate donors, which you can then share with your employees.

In addition to showcasing impact to employees, presenting your program’s wins to consumers can also help increase your business’s reputation. Ensure you have the proper tools in place for collecting data, so you can not only gather the information you need but also manage and publicize your CSR programs as you scale up.

Gather and respond to feedback.

Asking for employee input shouldn’t be a one-time occurrence when first creating your CSR program. Make an effort to continually gather feedback from your team to improve your program, answer questions, and maintain engagement over time.  

After launching a new CSR program, give employees time to participate in it, then survey them about their experiences. For example, you might roll out a new payroll giving initiative and let employees enroll and donate for a month or two, then check in to gather feedback. In this scenario, they might have thoughts about signing up for the program, ease of participation, or potential issues for subsequent withdrawals.

Additionally, as your business evolves, revisit your CSR goals. If you have an influx of new employees or change your corporate values, your CSR programs should be adjusted to stay relevant and impactful.  

When employees are invited to participate in CSR, you can design an engaging program that resonates with their values. Get your team involved as soon as possible and leverage their feedback to start creating CSR policies that fit your business goals.