BUSINESS CASE STUDY: How Staples Uses Mentoring to Differentiate as an Employer and Retailer
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As we celebrate National Mentoring Month this January, we are reminded that our nation’s future rests on today’s youth developing the 21stcentury academic, professional, and interpersonal skills critical to success in our evolving economy. Everywhere we turn we are reminded that past investments and strategies have not returned at near the rate they must. One in four public school children drop out before they finish high school. A recent report found that U.S. students fall behind 31 countries in math proficiency and behind 16 countries in reading proficiency. Many businesses report a scarcity of qualified college graduates with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to fill positions.
At the same time, despite the economic challenges we face, companies’ ability to recruit and retain talented employees is more important now than ever. To be successful, businesses must have a dual human capital focus- both on current and next generation talent. Corporate engagement in quality youth mentoring and more broadly, youth development provides an opportunity for this duality.
Recent studies found that 87% of employees feel greater loyalty to socially engaged employers and 75% of executives believe that a corporate volunteer program significantly impacts a company’s ability to recruit and retain talented employees and enhance the company’s image as an “employer of choice”. Employees also say that volunteering builds skills, makes them feel more pride in their business, increases motivation and leads to higher job satisfaction. Employee engagement is good for the bottom line too. A Gallup analysis discovered that for companies where employees were more engaged than not, their profitability jumped by 16%, general productivity was 18% higher, customer loyalty was 12% higher and quality was 60% higher.
Staples recognizes that being an employer and neighbor of choice differentiates our brand and allows us to grow profitably and responsibly. Education is a key area we support in communities throughout the country. In Massachusetts, where our headquarters is located, we partner with the Mass Mentoring Partnership, which works to strategically expanding quality youth mentoring with more than 190 mentoring organizations across the state. Working with a mentoring partnership helps companies understand the needs of local communities, connect with high-quality programs, and determine how to best engage employees and impact youth through financial contributions, employee volunteerism and in-kind donations.
Staples employees volunteer with two of Mass Mentoring’s highest quality mentoring program partners amongst others. With the John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation, Staples employees mentor high school students to help them set and achieve goals and prepare to apply to college; the students in return receive support for academic pursuits. With Everybody Wins! Metro Boston, Staples employees read one-on-one weekly with an elementary school student during their lunch hour to build their love of reading and literacy skills and develop a relationship with a consistent adult. And for the third year in a row, Staples is a sponsor of a statewide National Mentoring Month advertising campaign to raise awareness of the need for individuals, businesses and community organizations to get involved.
By mentoring youth in local communities, we cannot only ensure a better future for our youth, but for our workforce and for our collectively ability to compete in today’s economic environment. It is an investment in our present and our future productively and collective strength as a nation. To learn how your business can get involved, visit www.mentoring.org
John Mahoney Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Staples, Inc. and David Shapiro, CEO of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership