Malwina Puchalska-Kamińska1, Agnieszka Łądka-Barańska2, Marta Roczniewska3,4. 1. Institute of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland. 2. Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland. 3. Procome Research Group, Medical Management Center, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. marta.roczniewska@ki.se. 4. Center of Research On Cognition and Behaviour, Institute of Psychology, Faculty in Sopot, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Sopot, Poland. marta.roczniewska@ki.se.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Advancing social purpose in organizations is usually studied from the macro perspective, i.e., how it benefits organizational business goals or society more broadly. In this paper, we focus on social purpose from the perspective of the employee and propose that advancing social purpose in an organization allows individuals to fulfil an important human need for the meaning of work (MW). This study's objective was to assess whether a volunteering Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program in a manufacturing company allows employees to fulfil their basic psychological needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The data was collected through in-depth interviews with 15 employees and an analysis of artifacts. RESULTS: In the analysis, three main themes describing different aspects of voluntary work at the company were identified. We found that across all groups of interviewed employees the voluntary activities served the needs of (1) relatedness, (2) competence, and (3) autonomy. We conclude that CSR programs have the most positive impact on MW when they allow employees to engage in prosocial actions and satisfy those needs.
OBJECTIVE: Advancing social purpose in organizations is usually studied from the macro perspective, i.e., how it benefits organizational business goals or society more broadly. In this paper, we focus on social purpose from the perspective of the employee and propose that advancing social purpose in an organization allows individuals to fulfil an important human need for the meaning of work (MW). This study's objective was to assess whether a volunteering Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program in a manufacturing company allows employees to fulfil their basic psychological needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The data was collected through in-depth interviews with 15 employees and an analysis of artifacts. RESULTS: In the analysis, three main themes describing different aspects of voluntary work at the company were identified. We found that across all groups of interviewed employees the voluntary activities served the needs of (1) relatedness, (2) competence, and (3) autonomy. We conclude that CSR programs have the most positive impact on MW when they allow employees to engage in prosocial actions and satisfy those needs.
Entities:
Keywords:
Autonomy; Case study; Competence; Corporate social responsibility; Employee volunteering; Meaning of work; Relatedness; Self-determination theory