Sara Luchsinger, CSP, immediate past
chairman of the ASA corporate social responsibility committee, says you know you’ve achieved
employee engagement when they come out in big
numbers. At SEEK Careers/Staffing Inc., where
Luchsinger is vice president of operations, it’s not
just a couple of employees leading efforts. A valuable
group dynamic creates even more return on investment for the Grafton, WI-based staffing company,
which received honorable mention recognition in
2016. Reflecting on the company’s efforts, Luchsinger says, “The employees were all really engaged.
In every case, it wasn’t just one or two people. It was
the entire organization that was excited.” (See page
29 for a full list of ASA Care Award and honorable
mention recipients.)
Employee Engagement Strategies
That Work
A simple and increasingly popular way to engage
large numbers of employees in social responsibility
initiatives is to give them paid time off to volunteer. Some 60% of U.S. companies have adopted
such policies, according to America’s Charities, a
national organization that works with efforts such
as Feeding America, Make-a-Wish Foundation,
and others.
ASA Care Award recipients can effectively
demonstrate that their social responsibility efforts
are integrated into their business model and operations—not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental component of the enterprise. In this
respect, the staffing industry is keeping pace with
other general business best practices. A PwC study
reports that 64% of surveyed chief executive officers view social responsibility initiatives as core to
their business, rather than as a standalone program.
ASA also has taken steps to promote social
responsibility at a national level on behalf of the
staffing industry. In 2016, the association launched
the first annual ASA Cares Month, to celebrate
social responsibility and the partnership between
ASA and Jobs for America’s Graduates. The two
have teamed up to help at-risk youth prepare for
careers—through readiness coaching, mock interviews, job shadowing, and other work-focused
activities. ASA Cares Month now takes places every
February. (This year the association also organized
activities for its employees, including food drives,
collections for shelter animals, and a hands-on
volunteer opportunity with a not-for-profit organization.)
The 2016 ASA Care Award recipients did an
outstanding job of integrating social responsibility
initiatives, employee engagement, and companywide
goals. (Read more about how award recipients
are selected at americanstaffing.net/awards.)
“It’s important for organizations
to have their social responsibility
programs align with the business
goals and priorities,” Luchsinger
says. “We are here to be successful
as businesses, and social responsi-
bility can be a meaningful part of
that effort.”
Congratulations to all those companies
recognized for their social responsibility initia-
tives. Here is a brief look at each of the ASA Care
Award recipients.
Randstad U.S. for Hire Hope
Atlanta-based Randstad U.S. in 2014 launched
the Hire Hope program, which provides career-readiness training and job placement services to
women who otherwise would struggle to gain
access to meaningful work opportunities. They
are underserved and at risk: survivors of exploitation or trafficking, and those threatened by such
circumstances.
As a part of Randstad’s Women Powering Business initiative, Hire Hope aims to place women in
temporary or permanent jobs following completion of a career-readiness curriculum. By helping
to better women’s lives, the company strives to
enhance the entire work ecosystem.
Company information about Hire Hope notes
that “the vision is for participants to flourish by
utilizing the knowledge and professional experience gained to reintegrate back into the economy
in a positive way, further helping to shape the
world of work.”
2016 ASA CARE AWARD
RECIPIENTS
STAFFING COMPANIES WITH
MORE THAN $100 MILLION IN
ANNUAL SALES
Randstad U.S.
STAFFING COMPANIES WITH
$25 MILLION–$100 MILLION IN
ANNUAL SALES
LaSalle Network
STAFFING COMPANIES WITH
$7.5 MILLION–$25 MILLION IN
ANNUAL SALES
Associated Staffing Inc.
STAFFING COMPANIES WITH
LESS THAN $7.5 MILLION IN
ANNUAL SALES
Employment Edge
Staffing
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Tricom
2016 ASA CARE AWARD
HONORABLE MENTIONS
STAFFING COMPANIES WITH
MORE THAN $100 MILLION IN
ANNUAL SALES
Integrity Staffing
Solutions
Roth Staffing Cos.
STAFFING COMPANIES WITH
$25 MILLION–$100 MILLION IN
ANNUAL SALES
SEEK Careers/
Staffing Inc.
STAFFING COMPANIES WITH
LESS THAN $7.5 MILLION IN
ANNUAL SALES
Milliner & Associates
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Avionté
ASA-AFFILIATED CHAPTER
Georgia Staffing
Association
Congratulations to the 2016 ASA
Care Award honorees, selected
by a panel of independent social
responsibility experts.
“More and more staffing, recruiting, and workforce solu-
tions companies are embracing social responsibility initiatives
because of the many benefits they bring to their communi-
ties—and because they work toward advancing their business
objectives,” says Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief
executive officer. “ASA congratulates the 2016 ASA Care Award
honorees and all staffing firms that have launched these valu-
able programs in their organizations.”
Note that nominations for this year’s ASA Care Awards
program are due July 1. Go to americanstaffing.net/careawards
to access an online entry form.
For more information about the
ASA Care Awards program, visit
americanstaffing.net/careawards.
Hire Hope currently is in a pilot stage in
nership with the Empowered Living Academ
Atlanta nonprofit that provides resources in
areas of life skills, health and fitness, career trai
and more. Randstad is exploring opportuniti
expand the program in other cities.
The program consists of three phases:
n Restore: An intensive seven-week career-r
ness effort focuses on topics like personality a
ments, confidence building, and résumé wr
as well as interview preparation and profess
demeanor.
n Grow: Once participants have completed
restore phase, they go out on temporary
assignments. These may be professional ap
ticeship opportunities within Randstad or p
ments with selected clients.
n Flourish: Finally, women receive assistance
obtaining long-term or permanent employm
This stage also may be fulfilled when partici
obtain employment on their own or enro
higher education.
Randstad has allocated $250,000 to the prog
which has been supported by more than 2
volunteer hours in the past two years. Eighty wo
have completed the program and, of those wo
81% have accepted apprenticeship opportu
throughout the Atlanta community.
Local media has lauded the Hire Hope prog
Atlanta Magazine recognized the program
honored Randstad North America chief exec
officer Linda Galipeau for the effort by namin
to its 2016 Women Making a Mark list. The
Atlanta affiliate TV station featured a Hire H
program participant named Jessica.
“When I first began the program, I wasn’t s
really understood what was going on. I was relu
to be a part of it, only due to broken promises i
past,” she said in an interview. Now Jessica has a
outlook: “For the first time in my life, I feel im
tant. I feel valued. I feel like I can make a diffe
and that I am the one in control of my future.”
LaSalle Network for Community
Champions
Chicago-based LaSalle Network offers empl
who have been with the company for at least a
two paid days off per year to volunteer. Those
have been on board for five years or longer ge
days off per year to give back to a chosen cause. >>>
A SIMPLE AND INCREASINGLY
POPULAR WAY TO ENGAGE
LARGE NUMBERS OF
EMPLOYEES IN SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES
IS TO GIVE THEM PAID TIME
OFF TO VOLUNTEER. SOME
60% OF U.S. COMPANIES HAVE
ADOPTED SUCH POLICIES.
