WithumSmith+Brown: How Volunteering Keeps Employees Happy

PHILADELPHIA - Nov. 3, 2015 - PRLog -- It’s a well known fact that employees want to work for companies that genuinely care for them. Employees who feel valued and appreciated for their work are more willing to go the extra mile to benefit the company as a whole. Effective leaders see the benefits of connecting with employees, and as a result, they have more dedicated, committed teams. So how can companies show that they care about their employees? By encouraging their staff to become involved in their communities. In a UnitedHealth study, people who volunteered reported that they felt better emotionally, mentally and physically. In another study done by Cone Research (http://www.conecomm.com/research), 79% of people preferred to work for a socially responsible company. Co.tribute had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Rhonda Maraziti (Director of Marketing and Practice Growth at WithumSmith+Brown), to talk about some of the ways they support their staff through various volunteer programs.

WithumSmith+Brown provides accounting and consulting services to private and publicly held companies. The company offers a variety of services and specialized support to more than 12 major industry sectors, serving companies primarily across the Northeast region and worldwide. With 550 employees, WithumSmith+Brown has 12 manned offices along the Eastern seaboard. The firm has received many awards for their corporate philanthropy efforts, including being ranked as the 28th largest firm in the nation and 6th largest in the Northeast by Inside Public Accounting and number 15 by Vault, Inc. in their ‘Vault Accounting 50’ issue. Recognized as one of the state’s most generous companies byNew Jersey Monthly, WithumSmith+Brown was a 2014 and 2015 Great Oak Awards Finalist. Their ‘Withum Week of Caring’ was honored by the Philadelphia Business Journal for a 2015 Corporate Giving Award in its Hands On Initiative’category.

Recognized as one of New Jersey’s most dynamic women in New Jersey’s 2013 Best 50 Women in Business, Rhonda shares her insights on ways they’ve kept their employees happy at work. Let’s take a look at how they’ve incorporated volunteering into their company culture to foster positive environment.

The Withum Way

When we asked Rhonda what giving back looked like in their company, she emphasized that “Volunteerism and community outreach is an integral part of our firm's culture. We describe our culture through the “Withum Way” philosophy, comprised of 10 attributes, and one of them is giving back.” WithumSmith+Brown’s partner groups are involved in over 150 nonprofit boards and committees to help organizations in their areas of expertise. “They give their time and talents to keep these organizations running,” Rhonda says. Giving back to the community is not only embedded into their culture, but has also kept employees from leaving the company. The average turnover rate in their profession is around 12%, but WithumSmith+Brown beats the normal industry rate with a voluntary turnover rate of only 6.3%. “People enjoy working here and certainly giving back, and these community outreach efforts encourage them to stay,” says Rhonda. “It's one of the many things that makes our firm so special,” Rhonda emphasizes.

WithumSmith+Brown cares so much about their employees that they’re willing to provide in-house training opportunities catered to each individual, believing that every employee deserves to grow in their career. New hires are involved in a 2-3 week coaching ‘Empower Group’ program and go through an intense formal training exercise. “Employees get to bond as a group,” Rhonda continues. Another program they put together is the Women's Leadership and Development Initiative (WLDI), where women leverage the female leadership within the firm to help grow their careers or receive advice for managing their career and family.

Withum Week of Caring

Every year for the past four years, Withum has involved all its employees in a company-wide volunteer effort three days before Thanksgiving. “It’s a very special week for us,” says Rhonda. Each office's representatives for the Community Outreach Group (COG) coordinate volunteer opportunities during the Withum Week of Caring. Employees can request a local charity they would like to volunteer at, and the COG representatives plan a time for all employees to volunteer as a team, connecting their staff to a variety of nonprofit organizations whose missions benefit their local communities. “People love to be part of something bigger than themselves,” says Rhonda.

Employees Give their Time on a Weekly Basis

Employees at WithumSmith+Brown celebrate ‘Five Dollar Jeans Days’ every other week, where they get to choose a nonprofit they’d like to raise money for. Each office gets to pick a nonprofit they’d like to support, and every other week a new nonprofit is chosen. The Withum outreach group takes note of the charities that employees request and chooses non-profits based on the organization's relationship, mission, and values. WithumSmith+Brown vets each submission to make sure it qualifies as a non-profit, and create a calendar that is sent to all employees describing the cause they will be supporting each week. “The staff love wearing jeans to work and love supporting a good cause. It's a win-win,” Rhonda emphasizes. Employees normally raise about 1,000 dollars a week for a cause.

Showing your employees that you care about them as people matters. Employees who feel appreciated are much more happier in their job. We at Co.tribute definitely see that caring for employees makes a difference when it comes to business performance. Thanks to Rhonda for taking the time to share about WithumSmith+Brown’s employee culture. We love that you take care of your employees and the community. What do you think about WithumSmith+Brown’s corporate giving? Feel free to share your thoughts with us.