Guest Commentator: Festo Okidi, Development Director, Philadelphia Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter @alzassociation

What steps can businesses take to begin advocating for the communities they serve?

Business is about serving customers. Business is about supporting employees, too. Aligning with what is important to employees creates a sense of goodwill which can positively influence satisfaction, productivity, camaraderie, and retention, in addition to the benefits that come from people working together on a common goal.

Advocating for the communities you serve might be as simple as looking inward. And while you might be on board with the concept, perhaps you are unsure how to align your organization and staff towards a meaningful goal.

When I joined the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter, I was struck by the number of people who are impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementias—some 489,000 of our family, friends and colleagues in the Delaware Valley alone, and more than six million people nationwide. And for each person living with the disease, there are countless others who provide unpaid care and support, which only increases the impact both on our families and workplaces. Alzheimer’s disease is indeed a public health crisis—one that has a dramatic impact on the workplace and which very well might be an issue of high importance to your staff.

Think about your own employees and consider that some likely belong to this caregiver group—serving your organization well, but also juggling the many challenging demands of caregiving, often silently. How might we, as a community of workplaces, begin to advocate for our colleagues, helping them feel more fully supported in endeavors both at home and at work? Here are a few thoughts:

  1. Start with active listening. Employees are more likely to share their desires and needs if asked. Create an environment where they can speak freely—or, alternatively, confidentially—to express their concerns about issues that are important to them. Then, share that information in a way that demonstrates a sense of recognition and understanding.
  2. Open the channels to share resources and bring in the experts. If you find, for example, your staff is laden with family caregivers, connect with the organizations and people offering education, support and resources. Establish and nurture long-term relationships with these organizations and experts.
  3. Encourage volunteerism among staff and join them through meaningful participation. Ask employees to rally around each other as they participate in education programs, events and fundraising, as a few examples. Encourage sharing of their experiences with the full staff. It’s critical, too, that leadership commits to getting involved with staff at the grassroots level and/or by putting corporate resources (such as time and money) behind initiatives.
  4. Share your good work with a wider audience. Upon successfully advocating for your employees, think about how to extend the model outside to partners, customers and other stakeholders. Tell the story of your success through social media, media stories, testimonials, presentations and more.

The acts of asking, listening and acting in kind may sound simplistic, but will go a long way towards aligning businesses and employees together in the community.

Upcoming Event

222nd Annual Meeting
Friday, October 28, 2022 | 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM

Join the Chamber and our community of regional professionals and civic leaders for our Annual Meeting as we reflect on our actions and impact and renew our commitment to furthering equitable economic growth in the Greater Philadelphia region.

This past year the Chamber and our members have collaborated to promote an enhanced business climate and a stronger, more diverse, more equitable regional economy that benefits all Philadelphians. Hear from your new Chamber President and CEO, Chellie Cameron, as we celebrate our successes and share our aspirations for the future. Together we’ll explore key elements of the Chamber’s initiatives and advocacy efforts designed to grow our regional economy, offer a greater quality of life in Greater Philadelphia, and ensure opportunity for all.

This year’s Annual Meeting will be a luncheon.

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