It doesn’t matter what sector of business you are in or where in the world you are located: people desire to work for companies with strong values, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. And that means so much more today than simply writing a check.
People are in a position to be choosey about where they spend their careers, as they should be.
They want to know that the company they work for aspires to a greater social purpose, and that their values are shared by their employer and deeply woven into the fabric of the culture.
Many companies give back in admirable and meaningful ways. You may ask yourself: what makes Epsilon special or unique? Before I joined Epsilon, I asked myself the same question. I came to understand that community service and giving back isn’t just something Epsilon does. It’s who we are.
Since Epsilon was founded in 1969, service and giving back has been a part of the fabric of our culture. Afterall, Epsilon began as direct marketing agency to help not-for-profit organizations maintain their records and generate new members and donations. Epsilon and its people have evolved as the company has grown, but that spirit of community and service has remained constant.
Our Approach
I am incredibly passionate about what we’re building at Epsilon because our people live by the mantra of “1% better every day.” And that means putting in the hard work, grit and passion to actually go into our communities, and simply: show up. Just show up. If you work for a company, your community should know who you are, what you stand for.
At Epsilon, we care about the people we are impacting and reaching. More than that, we want to change the generational inequities of the marginalized communities that continue to persist in our society.
Fundamentally, our mission at Epsilon is to create an environment of empathy, belonging and collaboration among our employees, clients and the communities we serve. That’s why all of our CSR practices and policies are designed to create pathways to grow cycles of change across all three.
In my mind, the way we can achieve this is by making intentional financial contributions, growing impactful partnerships and sparking meaningful conversations focused on three areas: social awareness, community engagement, and environmental sustainability.
Social Awareness
It’s important to understand that for us, the “responsibility” part of corporate social responsibility is not limited to financial donations and community service. It also includes an imperative to contribute to society in positive and meaningful ways.
There are social elements impacting our people every day, and the first step is being socially aware enough to accept this. People should always bring their whole selves to work, and at Epsilon, we are creating a “speak-up” culture that welcomes and respects all voices. We are actively cultivating an environment of awareness within Epsilon by addressing world issues, evolving social and ethical norms within the organization, and providing educational opportunities for employees to strengthen their ability to empathize and take perspectives of individuals with diverse backgrounds and cultures. By doing this, we can grow change and build cultural fluency one conversation at a time.
Community Engagement
When it comes to the communities that we live in, work in and care about, our focus is on fostering connection. Epsilon strives to engage employees to cultivate diverse talent in new and unexpected places, as well as and extending grace to our communities through charitable goodwill and volunteer opportunities.
With that lens, Epsilon collaborates with international and local organizations who are aligned to our core values and strengthen our desire to build diverse pipelines of talent. That is why we are proud to work with organizations like Ronald McDonald House, Habitat for Humanity, Racial Justice Institute, India Cares, and many more. We build future-focused immersion programs with partners like Noble Schools to enrich students with meaningful development opportunities and find connections with peers and mentors. It’s here where we can truly create pathways for students of diverse interests to succeed in their communities and explore new career paths.
Our people are passionate about the way we give back, and you can expect to hear more stories about our support and collaboration with these organizations in future posts.