Corporate volunteering is not new. Traditionally, it has been conceived as a Corporate Social Responsibility practice. However, businesses are progressively integrating employee community involvement into business strategy. In particular, there seems to be a strong case for linking employee volunteering to human-resources outcomes. Planet Labor looks at the dynamics of corporate volunteering in three big companies: IBM, OHL Group and Pascual Corporation. All have been publicly awarded for their actions in this domain. (Ref. 130498)
Corporate or employee volunteering refers to ongoing and coordinated business support for staff involvement in the local community. This work-based volunteering scheme is frequently associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR). In point of fact, at IBM, OHL Group and Pascual Corporation these initiatives are coordinated by their respective CSR or social action departments. However, internal benefits are making a convincing case for embedding this scheme in the heart of business practice. “Initially we did not envisage corporate volunteering as a human resources strategy,” says María Ruspoli, Head of Social Action, Sponsorship and Community Involvement at OHL, a Spanish construction multinational.
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