Microsoft Says: Volunteer During Office Hours
Forget “I’m a Mac” or “I’m a PC”, at Microsoft Canada they’ve coined I Volunteer. The software company has found added value in giving employees the opportunity to volunteer up to 40 hours a year with pay. Seen as a win-win, employees gain knowledge and new skills while helping charities out. In Canada Microsoft employees have contributed over 20,000 hours since 2003.
Because employees get to choose a charity that is meaningful to them, I Volunteer participants are involved in a wide range of activities, including:
- An orphanage in Guatemala
- Habitat for Humanity builds in Malaysia and Ethiopia
- The Microsoft Canada Charity Hockey team, raising over $150,000 for Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and Ability Online
- World Vision in Africa
- Holding online safety presentations for Take Back the Net to parents, educators and children
- The St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program uses Microsoft volunteers and their dogs to visit patients
On top of offering their people power, Microsoft will also donate up to $1,300 in hardware or software to involved charities.
Tags: corporate social responsibility, CSR, employee volunteering, microsoft
