A recent study (the 2011 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT survey) “suggests a powerful link between frequent participation in workplace volunteer activities and several measures of employee engagement that, in turn, contribute to employees’ perceptions of positive corporate culture.” To be sure, this is a good argument for corporate social responsibility (CSR). But at McGraw-Hill, we are good corporate citizens not in reaction to studies like this, but because we proactively operate under the belief that our responsibility is to contribute to society at large as well as the communities in which we work and live in.
Global Volunteer Day (GVD) is one of our signature initiatives and has been part of the fabric of McGraw-Hill for eight years. Global Volunteer Day (GVD) at McGraw-Hill is more like a volunteer month, during which employees from our offices across the globe take paid time off of work to participate in community volunteer events organized by team leaders around the company.
Volunteers in India aid children
This year’s GVD really did have a global reach, especially in helping the lives of children. In the U.S., 90 of the 157 projects focused on helping children. In India, team leaders volunteered at over 50 schools across the country which impacted approximately 9,400 students. In Melbourne, Australia, team leader Marg Slesser said “We had an incredibly inspirational day with our project. Everyone came away from the day feeling they had contributed to the lives of the special people we spent the day with and feeling very humbled by our experience. The Melbourne City Mission people were very grateful for the opportunity to take such a large group and enjoy a day’s outing partaking in an activity that so many of us take for granted.” These are just a few highlights of the impact we had in 58 cities around the world.
Volunteering also gives us a sense of fulfillment internally. According to the Deloitte survey, Millennials (age 21-35) who frequently participate in workplace volunteer activities are more likely to be proud, loyal and satisfied employees, as compared to those who rarely or never volunteer.* We think that our volunteer efforts also help the companies boost loyalty and pride in our employees. With 6,200 employees volunteering in 19 different countries, we are glad to say that the people who work here want to be a part of the bigger picture.
German volunteers working together
Being a part of GVD events gives employees an opportunity to be a major contributor to our communities while also creating opportunities to partner with the other talented individuals in the companies. One quote from our GVD survey** read: “Global Volunteer Day is not only a great way to make an impact for the local community, but also a good opportunity to interact with colleagues you may not work with on a daily basis.” Nearly 80% of team leaders felt that organizing a project benefited them in the areas of collaboration and networking, project management experience, and leadership development. Not only do we have happier employees because of this volunteer work, but they are progressing professionally with these opportunities.
At McGraw-Hill, volunteer work helps us respond to the call for civic duty and recognize the talented individuals who work for us. Through these projects, employees impact communities in a significant way. Another anonymous quote from the GVD survey said “It [GVD] has been one of the most worthwhile, interesting and enjoyable experiences we ever had…We will cherish this movement for the rest of our lives.” We are glad to be socially responsible and reach out to the communities and environments to make a positive impact. This is why we volunteer.
Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability created by Benjamin Zweig
*Results of 2011 Volunteer IMPACT Survey are based on online interviews with 1,500 millennials (ages 21-35) who work at companies with 1,000 or more employees that offer employee volunteer activities or programs.
** All figures and anonymous quotes directed from McGraw-Hill Global Volunteer Day Survey.
On the right is an infographic that Global New Media intern Benjamin Zweig outlined for our 2010 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report. To see our company Corporate Social Responsibility report, click here
To see what other Corporate Responsibility posts we’ve written on the Virtual Cooler, click here
