Almost 80 companies participated in Employee Volunteer Week (EVW) this year, organised by Community Business. The event benefitted just under 5,000 people, an increase of nearly 30% on the 2009 event.
Reports from the participating companies reveal that 1,809 employees volunteered over 6,000 hours of their collective time on nearly 100 volunteer activities serving Hong Kong charitable organisations and NGOs.
Jim Thompson, Chair of the Community Business Leadership Team (CBLT) said, “The scale of participation from the companies, their employees and CEOs indicates a strong level of commitment to give back to the Hong Kong community.” He added, “The surveys completed indicate benefits not just to the charitable organisations and NGOs that were the recipients of the volunteer activities, but also to the businesses themselves – employers found it gave their employees a chance to learn about the community and enhance relationships between colleagues.”
Alistair McGregor, CEO, Community Business commented, “Companies of all sizes and across various industries, including finance & banking, accountancy, law, and technology, took part in Employee Volunteer Week. The fact that nearly 80 companies and 40 CEOs / Senior Executives participated in Employee Volunteer Week, demonstrates the strong business case for employee volunteering in Hong Kong, and that support spans employees and CEOs.” He added, “Leadership support is essential when we promote employee volunteering. This year, we are happy to see that the number of C-Level participation has almost doubled, showing an increase in support and awareness from senior management of the benefits from employee volunteering.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
