How do you exactly make the employees more aware of their social responsibilities? It is a common headache among HR officers: they come up with drives, only to realize they will not be getting enough support from the personnel.

One should know that it will definitely take time for employees to warm up with the idea, especially at this day and age when the slogan seems to be “every man for himself.” You may, however, start the convincing process using the following tips:

1. Do not schedule social / community activities on weekends.
Many companies would schedule drives on weekends. After all, by this time, the employees are usually on their day-offs. However, this is quite a wrong idea. Employees do value their time, and weekends are sacred. These are the times when they can be with their friends and family.

2. Spare the cash as much as possible.
Consider encouraging your employees to donate clothes, food, or any material things, except for cash. Give them the chance to have more control over their salaries. Moreover, there is a good chance they have more things they’re willing to give.

3. Put up several volunteer forms on the board.
The employees themselves can be better advocates for the growth of the community. They just need someone to light the fire and they can do the rest. You can start by creating a volunteer group, which will spearhead social responsibility projects for the company. If a big group is too much for your organization, you can set up a mini-volunteer booth in your office or in the community you’re trying to help. As an information drive, put up a volunteer sign-up sheet in your office’s bulletin board. Don’t worry if only a few will register. Should the volunteerism activity becomes successful, it will not be long before the rest will follow.

4. Reward them.
You can create or develop special awards to those who participate in various activities. These include Leadership Award and Social Civic Award (or you can create your own names for them). Many employees are highly motivated when it comes to recognition. Handing them awards will be one of the best methods to capture their attention. Besides, it’s only right to honor those who are willing to contribute.

5. Know their best interests.
If your clean-up drive is going nowhere, do not immediately assume no one wants to take responsibility. One obvious reason for this is that the activity doesn’t really match the employees’ interests. You, as the HR officer, might want to take time knowing their interests. Also, determine which organizations you can help or can help you, and identify how you can align them to your company’s goals and objectives.

6. Make them part of the process.
Coming up with social projects does not happen overnight. It involves a lot of stages. While you are at it, you might as well encourage your employees to help you out. You can delegate tasks or ask for ideas on how to stage a certain activity more successfully.