Pic: IMAGESBAZAAR

Don't we often wish we could do more to help our society? Today, Through CSR activities, employees get a chance to do so and in turn, not only serve the society, but also enrich themselves

There is no joy like the joy of giving. Organisations are giving back to the community through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. Many companies encourage their employees' involvement by including their hours spent volunteering into their work hours. But all of this is secondary; the main reason that encourages people participation is the joy and satisfaction they receive in return, which tends to affect their work as well as personal lives positively. To add to this, such activities also helps companies express their visions and goals to their employees. "Rather than performing mere cheque book charities, we must focus on channeling our efforts towards identifiable causes through personal involvement. This makes employees aware of the company's genuine intent to make a difference. Many employees are also motivated by the keen participation of the senior management. This helps send out the message that the company believes in being socially responsible and it instills a sense of pride and belonging in employees," Deepak Shetty, director, HR, Philips Innovation Campus.

In other words, "Volunteering programmes are a win-win scenario. Employees gain critical skills working with the community like they derive the ability to relate to others and collaboratively use their creativity and resourcefulness to face challenging situations. Such an attitude fosters innovation," believes R Anish, director, HR, Intel South Asia.

However, to gauge how such activities affect and help employees, we must know their experiences and understanding of them. Below are a few first-person accounts of the same:

An old friend

"My colleagues and I spent time in an old-age home. I remember speaking with an octogenarian who was shunned by his family. Working together to help him through the trying times allowed me to view my colleagues in a different environment. It helped us understand each other better and eliminated the friction that had crept into our work relationship. This was how helping them helped us. It simply brought out the better in us."

- Debopam Basu, software developer, SAP Labs India

A school teacher

"I am a volunteer teacher at a government school, where I teach children from a small farm nearby. Their curiosity and keen sense of observation help me question things myself and this helps me innovate. Working with them has also helped me tremendously in developing my current project on post natal care. Many features in this product are based on observations and insights gained during my interactions."

- Sathyasundara Tejasvi, senior technical specialist, Philips Innovation Campus

A mentor

"Every Sunday, I am welcomed by young smiling faces. I owe this privilege to a mentorship initiative I participate in. My initial interactions with the kids was very challenging as I was not well acquainted with them and their behaviour. To make them understand what I wanted to teach, I had to break large pieces of information into small comprehensible morsels. This exercise helped me immensely in my professional life as simplification of complex information and correctly communicating it are daunting tasks. For me, though, it has now become somewhat of a habit."

- K R Ganapati, executive - design, Siemens Ltd

- Tanya Thomas