It’s no secret. Before giving 40 hours of their week to your company, potential employees are looking for a business that wants to do more than have a better quarter than the last. Hart Hillman, founder of The Bigwin Group Inc., says, “People are now looking at a company’s social responsibility before choosing a company to work for.” Potential employees across the age spectrum—not just Millennials and Gen Zers—are looking for an employer who gives back to their community.

For temporary staff, corporate responsibility is paramount. While it can be difficult to motivate your temporary workers, when they grasp that your company is doing something bigger and better than grasping for a profit, you’ll motivate them in ways you never thought possible. Here are three reasons why we believe educating temporary staff on your corporate social initiatives is the best way to motivate them.

It helps them stay invested in their work

It’s okay. We know. The work you give your temporary staff is sometimes the most menial tasks. And, as a result, they can become disinterested and complacent in their work. One way to change this is to remind your temporary staff about how their work is connected to a greater good. In a previous blog we talked about how one retail manager motivated his seasonal sales associates by explaining that “The gifts people are buying for their loved ones are really important to them, so … let’s try to make every customer’s experience with us the high point of their day.”

According to Business for Social Responsibility, a global non-profit organization that conducted a study on the effects of social responsibility on corporations’ bottom line, corporate social responsibility will “lead to high employee morale, increased productivity and a reduced error rate.” In other words, when an employee is propelled by a higher cause, they’ll be motivated to go above and beyond in their day to day work—even if that work can be mundane.

It helps them understand their work.

Many organizations put the minimum amount of hours into training their temporary staff. Who would blame them? The whole reason companies hire temporary workers is because they’re swamped with work. So, it can be tempting to skip the part in the training manual about how you’re planting trees.

Yet, educating temporary workers on corporate social responsibility won’t only help them be invested in their work, it will also help them understand how their small task fits into the bigger picture. When they grasp the larger purpose behind their task, they’re more likely to complete their job quicker and with more enthusiasm.

It enhances employer branding.

Lastly, companies that educate their temporary staff on corporate social responsibility will find it easier to employ and retain top quality staff. It’s one thing to help your temporary staff invest and understand their work, but when they become evangelists for your company’s corporate responsibility, they’re more likely to attract top quality candidates.

In order for employees—temporary and otherwise—to truly buy into your initiatives, they need to see executives play an active role in them. They need to see that management isn’t just ticking off another box on the “things we should probably do” list, but that they really care about giving back to the community. It’s only then that you’ll begin enhancing your employer brand.

Corporate social responsibility is only one part of building an employer brand that draws in the best and the brightest. For a full guide, make sure to download our employer branding handbook below.