Can one contribute to the social sector

while being employed in the corporate

world
Introduction:
As the world continues to face various social and environmental challenges, there is an
increasing need for individuals to contribute to the social sector. However, many individuals may
feel that their employment in the corporate world limits their ability to make a positive impact in
the social sector. This essay aims to explore whether one can contribute to the social sector while
being employed in the corporate world.

Body:
One way that employees can contribute to the social sector is through skills-based volunteering.
Dempsey-Brench and Shantz (2021) suggest that skills-based volunteering allows employees to
utilize their expertise to make a meaningful contribution to social causes. This type of
volunteering can also help employees develop new skills and build relationships with individuals
from diverse backgrounds. Another way that employees can contribute is through employee
volunteering, which is when employees volunteer their time outside of work hours to support
social causes. Im and Chung (2018) found that employee volunteering meaningfulness is
positively associated with organizational citizenship behavior, indicating that employees who
find their volunteering efforts meaningful are more likely to engage in positive behaviors that
benefit their organization and society.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is another way in which employees can contribute to the
social sector while being employed in the corporate world. Rupp et al. (2018) found that
engagement in CSR activities positively predicts employee engagement, particularly when
employees have autonomy and individualism in their CSR activities. This suggests that when
employees are given the freedom to engage in CSR activities in a way that aligns with their
values and beliefs, they may be more likely to feel motivated to contribute to the social sector.
Additionally, Latif et al. (2022) found that employee-perceived CSR is positively related to pro-
environmental behavior, indicating that when employees perceive that their organization is
committed to CSR activities, they may be more likely to engage in behaviors that benefit the
environment

Conclusion:
In conclusion, the above references suggest that employees can contribute to the social sector
while being employed in the corporate world through various avenues such as skills-based
volunteering, employee volunteering, CSR activities, and pro-environmental behavior. These
activities can not only help employees make a positive impact on society but can also benefit the
organization by improving employee engagement, organizational citizenship behavior, and pro-
environmental behavior. Therefore, employees should be encouraged to engage in these
activities, and organizations should provide opportunities and support for their employees to
contribute to the social sector.
References
Dempsey-Brench, K., & Shantz, m. (2021). Skills-based volunteering: A systematic literature
review of the intersection of skills and employee volunteering. Human Resource
Management Review, 32(4), 100874. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2021.100874

Im, S., & Chung, Y. W. (2018). Employee Volunteering Meaningfulness and Organizational
Citizenship Behavior: Exploring the Effects of Organizational Support, Pride, and Trust.
Sustainability, 10(12), 4835. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124835

Latif, B., Meero, A., Aziz, A., Rahman, A., & Ali, M. (2022). Employee-Perceived Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) and Employee Pro-Environmental Behavior (PEB): The
Moderating Role of CSR Skepticism and CSR Authenticity. Sustainability, 13(4), 1992.
doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031380

Rupp, D. E., Shao, R., Skarlicki, D. P., Paddock, E. L., Kim, T.-Y., & Nadisic, T. (2018).
Corporate social responsibility and employee engagement: The moderating role of CSR-
specific relative autonomy and individualism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(5),
559-579. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2282