Companies That Care Day
It's heartening to see businesses prioritize their staff's welfare over profits, nurturing them into their best selves.
Have you ever really loved the company that you worked for? Did they give you the feeling that what you did was important and your contribution mattered?
It is possible that the company was following the principles of a socially responsible employer that Companies That Care Day brings awareness to.
The Center for Companies That Care works to enhance the well-being of employees and communities by inspiring companies to use the principles in their daily business practices.
Companies That Care Day Timeline
1830s–1900s
Early Company Paternalism and Welfare Work
Large industrial firms in the United States and Europe begin offering housing, company towns, and limited welfare benefits to workers, marking some of the first organized attempts by employers to show concern for employees’ well-being, though often with tight social control.
1913
Ford’s Five-Dollar Day
The Ford Motor Company introduces a then-unprecedented five-dollar daily wage and shorter hours for many factory workers, linking higher pay and better conditions to productivity and signaling a new model of employers investing in workers’ welfare.
1935
National Labor Relations Act in the United States
The U.S. Congress passes the National Labor Relations Act, strengthening workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, which pushes companies to address employee concerns more systematically and contributes to the evolution of more responsive, caring employer practices.
1953
Creation of the NCR Foundation
NCR establishes the NCR Foundation to support education and communities, an early example of a corporate foundation formalizing company-led philanthropy and community care as part of business identity.
1971
Milton Friedman’s Critique Spurs CSR Debate
Economist Milton Friedman publishes “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits,” arguing against broader corporate obligations, which in turn spurs decades of debate and research on corporate social responsibility and stakeholder obligations to employees and communities.
1984
Stakeholder Theory Formally Articulated
Edward Freeman’s book “Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach” argues that companies must consider employees, communities, and other stakeholders alongside shareholders, providing a theoretical foundation for modern concepts of caring and socially responsible employers.
1997
UN Global Compact Principles Introduced
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposes what becomes the UN Global Compact, encouraging companies worldwide to commit to principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption, reinforcing expectations that employers actively safeguard worker welfare and contribute to society.
Learn About Companies That Care Day
Companies That Care Day is about celebrating those businesses out there that care about their employees.
Everyone wants to work in a place that pushes us to grow, encourages us, and enables us to succeed. Working in an environment like this can be a great source of support and positive energy. These are benefits that can flow into other areas of our lives as well.
Companies That Care Day encourages us to celebrate the employers out there that are doing their bit to make their employees feel cared about and help them to progress in life.
It is also a day that encourages employers to do more. It is about raising awareness about the different steps that employers can take to grow their community and employee initiatives.
There are a lot of businesses out there that could be doing more for the community and more for their employers. If you are reading this and you believe that it applies to you, why not commit yourself to doing something more on Companies That Care Day and all of the days that follow it?
After all, not only is this going to benefit all of your employees, but it will benefit you as well. If you show your team that you care about them and you are committed to their growth and wellbeing, this will benefit you in the end because they will work harder and they will feel a sense of loyalty toward you and your company.
This, in turn, means your retention rates will boost and you will have a much better chance of holding onto your best talent. The most successful business owners recognize that they would be nowhere without the people who work for them.
There are a number of different characteristics that define organizations that are responsible and caring. In fact, the Companies That Care site has outlined the ten characteristics businesses should have. We will talk you through them.
The first is to sustain a work environment that is founded on the respect and dignity of all workers. Aside from this, businesses should think about the human toll when they are making company decisions and they should also get involved in public policy and/or community endeavors.
Caring companies also establish and communicate standards for ethical integrity and behavior, appreciate and recognize the contributions of their workforce, and develop exceptional leaders at all levels who are great at people management.
Other characteristics include enabling the well-being of their workforce and their family members through practices, policies, benefits, and compensation, as well as encouraging the individual pursuit of a healthy work/life balance, cultivate the full potential of all of their staff members, and make employees feel valued and that their jobs are important.
These characteristics can help you to understand what you need to do better as an organization. If you are an employee, it can help to show you how your company values you and the efforts they make.
History of Companies That Care Day
The Center for Companies That Care was founded in 2003 to promote the social sustainability and improvement of the lives of individuals, families, and communities through the education of employers in the principles of a socially responsible employer.
These principles are the cornerstone of making workplaces a center of growth and leadership that can increase the production and profitability of the company and individuals.
Another principle that the Center tries to promote is for employers to practice employer engagement. This is something that will exist when the values and practices of an employer support and sustain not only their own goals but the needs of the community as well.
Many companies show this by sponsoring community service days, donate to local charities and find other ways to give back to the community. With the goal to inspire these two principles in companies, the result is a more sustainable society for generations to come.
How to celebrate Companies That Care Day
To celebrate Companies That Care Day head over to Companies That Care where you can see the 10 Characteristics of Socially Responsible Employers.
There you will be able to see if you are fortunate to have an employer that has these characteristics. You can share this information with those who are in leadership positions within your company and see if there are ways that you can help to shine light on the good your company does for its employees and the community.
If you are the one in a position of leadership in your company, you can host an event to celebrate the day. Let everyone know that they are valued, from the head of the company to the newest edition to the team! Everyone feels better when they get a pat on the back and know that they are a valued part of the team.
The Center for Companies That Care has many resources available on their website that can help to educate employers in your community. There is even a national honor roll that publicly recognizes those companies that strive to make the work environment something that encourages their employees to rise to great heights.
Delta Air Lines Inc, Enterprise Fleet Management Inc, and Convergint Technologies are just a few of the companies that have been on the honor roll.
Make time to see if your company should be added to the list and honored for the commitment and dedication that they show to their workers and your community! Let your community know that your company is a Company that Cares!
Facts About Companies That Take Care Day
Employee Well-Being Tied Directly to Profitability
Gallup’s meta-analyses of tens of thousands of business units have found that teams in the top quartile of employee engagement, which includes feeling supported and cared for at work, see 23% higher profitability and 18% higher productivity than those in the bottom quartile, along with substantially lower turnover, absenteeism, and safety incidents, indicating that attentive people practices translate into measurable business outcomes.
Psychological Safety Drives Better Team Performance
Harvard Business School research by Amy Edmondson shows that teams with high psychological safety, where employees feel able to speak up and admit mistakes without fear of embarrassment or punishment, learn faster and perform better, a finding echoed by Google’s multi-year Project Aristotle study that identified psychological safety as the single strongest predictor of team effectiveness across the company.
Living Wages Strongly Influence Employee Health
A 2022 report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office estimated that raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025 would lift 0.9 million people out of poverty and reduce the number of families experiencing food insecurity and difficulty paying for medical care, reinforcing a body of public health research that links higher, more stable incomes with better mental and physical health outcomes.
Supportive Managers Reduce Burnout Risk
The World Health Organization describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon stemming from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, and reviews summarized by the American Psychological Association show that employees who perceive their supervisors as fair, considerate, and supportive report significantly lower emotional exhaustion and higher job satisfaction than those who feel poorly treated by their managers.
Corporate Volunteering Boosts Retention and Skills
Research compiled by Deloitte on corporate volunteer programs indicates that 89% of employees believe company-sponsored volunteer activities improve their overall sense of well-being, and a majority say such programs help them develop teamwork and leadership skills, while companies report that strong volunteering cultures are associated with higher employee engagement and intent to stay.
Community “Days of Caring” Multiply Local Impact
United Way’s coordinated “Day of Caring” initiatives across the United States show how employer-supported volunteering can concentrate impact, with local campaigns often mobilizing hundreds or thousands of employee volunteers in a single day to complete projects such as school renovations, neighborhood cleanups, and food bank support, providing under-resourced nonprofits with substantial labor and strengthening ties between companies and community organizations.
Employees Now Expect Social Responsibility from Employers
Porter Novelli’s Purpose Perception studies have found that 88% of American employees believe companies must positively impact society as well as make a profit, and more than three-quarters say they are more likely to be loyal to employers that lead with purpose, suggesting that visible commitments to social and community responsibility have become a core expectation in the modern workplace.
Companies That Care Day FAQs
How do socially responsible employment practices affect staff retention and loyalty?
Research from sources such as Gallup and the Society for Human Resource Management shows that when employers provide fair pay, recognition, development opportunities, and work life balance, employees are significantly more likely to stay, recommend the organization, and feel committed to its goals.
Lower turnover in turn reduces hiring and training costs and helps preserve institutional knowledge, which supports long term performance.
What is the link between caring workplace cultures and employee mental health?
Caring workplace cultures that emphasize psychological safety, reasonable workloads, supportive management, and access to mental health resources are associated with lower rates of burnout, depression, and anxiety among employees.
The World Health Organization notes that poor organizational practices, such as excessive workload, unclear roles, and lack of support, increase mental health risks, while positive practices that respect dignity and participation help protect well being.
How do socially responsible employers typically support work life balance in practice?
Socially responsible employers tend to combine formal policies with everyday practices.
Common approaches include flexible or remote work options where feasible, predictable scheduling, paid leave, caregiving and parental supports, and discouraging long hours as a norm.
Studies from the OECD and International Labour Organization find that such measures, when genuinely supported by managers, improve satisfaction and can maintain or even raise productivity, rather than harming performance.
In what ways can companies align community engagement with their core business rather than one off charity?
Experts in corporate social responsibility recommend that companies focus on community initiatives that use their specific expertise, products, or networks, instead of isolated donations or single volunteer days.
Examples include skills based volunteering, long term partnerships with schools or nonprofits, and programs that expand access to the company’s services for underserved groups.
Research summarized by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship indicates that strategic, long term community engagement tends to create more measurable benefits for both society and the company.
How is a “caring company” different from one that simply offers perks?
Perks such as free snacks or game rooms matter far less than how people are treated day to day.
A caring company focuses on fair and transparent management, growth opportunities, inclusion, and meaningful work, and it invites employees to help shape decisions that affect them.
Management scholars highlight that cultures built on trust, respect, and ethical behavior are stronger predictors of engagement and performance than surface level benefits that do not address job quality or voice.
Can socially responsible and employee centered practices still be effective in low margin or small businesses?
Evidence from small business case studies and research on “high road” employment practices suggests that even low margin firms can adopt elements of caring employment by focusing on basics such as predictable scheduling, respectful supervision, cross training, and incremental wage or benefit improvements as finances allow.
Studies from the Aspen Institute and similar organizations show that small employers that invest thoughtfully in people often see lower turnover and better customer service, which can offset some costs.
How can employees tell whether their employer’s social responsibility initiatives are genuine and not just public relations?
Observers are advised to look for consistency over time, involvement of employees in program design, transparent reporting of goals and results, and whether workplace practices match the organization’s public statements.
Independent frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative and B Lab’s B Impact Assessment encourage companies to disclose how they treat workers, communities, and the environment, which can make it easier to distinguish substantive commitments from symbolic gestures.
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