By Katya Andresen

Which of the following is more motivating?
a. A bonus you spend on yourself
b. A bonus you spend on someone else
And the answer is…. b, according to several studies profiled in this Washington Post piece. In one of them, the behavioral economist Dan Ariely showed employees might be more satisfied with their jobs when given the chance to help others.
In fact, social impact programs are probably one of the best but overlooked ways to boost employee engagement and morale. And we should deeply care about employee engagement and morale. Research suggests that engaged employees are 50% more productive and 33% more profitable – not to mention they are responsible for 56% higher customer loyalty scores.
Saving the koalas could be good for your bottom line.
So which social impact programs work? Here are two ideas.
1. Be a company that has a positive social impact. Net Impact recently surveyed Millennial, Gen X, and Baby Boomer employees and found that employees who felt they had “impact” jobs were two times more satisfied at work.
2. Make it easy for employees to have a social impact through your company. Enable employee giving to favorite charities or create a volunteer or mentoring program. Skills-based projects have double benefits in that they allow employees to build capacity in the social sector (and feel good about giving back) and enhance professional skills and perspectives that make them better at their day job.
The 2011 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT survey found millennials who frequently participate in workplace volunteer activities are nearly twice as likely to be very satisfied with the progression of their career.
If you’re interested in more, my organization Network for Good recently released a free guide on employee engagement trends and advice on how to integrate social impact into your employee engagement strategy.