There’s a spirit of philanthropy among many of Coins2Day’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, including quite a few that make sure workers who take initiative are treated well. We spoke with businesses who’ve committed resources to making the world a better place, including offering employees paid time off to work on projects important to them. Many of the companies below are, unsurprisingly, in the tech industry.
Here are 10 companies that support employees for giving back to their communities.
Note: The companies are listed by the number of hours of paid time off granted for volunteering each year.
Deloitte
Industry: Professional services
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: Unlimited
What the company is saying: Jonathan Copulsky, principal at Deloitte Consulting, explains that employees are "tremendously passionate about giving back" at an organization with a "long legacy of making an impact." He added, "With an increased focus on strengthening our nation’s workforce through our education and veterans initiatives, our people’s volunteer efforts are aimed not just at doing good but also at making a long-term, strategic impact where it matters."
Copulsky explained that nearly 40,000 Deloitte employees have participated "in one manner of another. There were also 28,000 employees from 80 offices who took part in the company's Impact Day, Deloitte's annual day of service.
See the other perks at Deloitte on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Novo Nordisk
Industry: Healthcare
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 80
What the company is saying: Novo Nordisk has the most paid time off for volunteering by about 20 hours. Diana Blankman, the senior director for U.S. Corporate giving and social impact, told Coins2Day that the company follows a "Triple Bottom Line business model." She explained, "Novo Nordisk’s commitment to social responsibility and to serving people and communities in need is at the heart of everything we do." She says most offsite meetings have a "community service component built into it," and there's even a Novo Nordisk Social Awareness Team that organizes community service projects.
A new portal for employee engagement, called "Changing Our Communities," was launched in 2014 to track and help employees find volunteer opportunities. "For every project submitted, Novo Nordisk will make a monetary donation in the individual’s or team’s name to one of the company’s signature partner organizations," according to the company.
See the other perks at Novo Nordisk on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
NuStar Energy
Industry: Energy
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 60
What the company is saying: NuStar boasts 93,000 hours of volunteering for 2014. The company hosts events, including a golf tournament which has proceeds donated to charity and another called "Casting for a Cause, which had employees fishing to raise money for the homeless. Patrick Thompson, who serves as an Accountant for NuStar and as Vice President of Activities for our Volunteer Council, said: "I have volunteered throughout my life and it’s a big part of who I am, so one of the main reasons that I wanted to work for NuStar was its culture of volunteerism." He added that the volunteer activities have also helped him get closer with his coworkers. "Those relationships have gone a long way," said Thompson.
See the other perks at NuStar on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
PCL Construction
Industry: Construction
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 50
What the company is saying: PCL Construction said that while it's "difficult to estimate" the number of employees who volunteer, there's "an annual goal of 18 hours per employee per year." The company holds Habitat for Humanity home builds," including for the last four years. The company added, "That said, districts organize events they feel are meaningful in their respective locations. For example, in Denver, we have done the Brother’s Redevelopment Paint-A-Thon for the past 30 years. We also organize volunteer days at the Rescue Mission, Mile High United Way."
The company has a few ways to recognize employees, including a "volunteer recognition luncheon," which gives employees the chance to win a $200 check for the charity of their choice." There's also recognition for employees who have volunteered over 250 hours who are given a "Presidential Service Award plaque."
See the other perks at PCL on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Autodesk
Industry: Technology
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 48
What the company is saying: Joe Speicher recently started his tenure as the executive direct for software company Autodesk's foundation. The company encourages employees to volunteer four hours per month on company time. For every 10 hours notched, the employee gets $100 dollars to give to a charity of their choice. Speicher says that thousands of employees take advantage of Autodesk's commitment to volunteerism. His goal: To add more value to the efforts by employees, ensuring that the employees' skills are being used in the best way possible for improving the communities around them. "We have a ton of engagement and we are continuing to demonstrate support," said Speicher. "This year was our greatest."
See the other perks at Autodesk on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Salesforce
Industry: Technology
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 48
What the company is saying: Long heralded as a leader in supporting employees volunteer efforts with its groundbreaking 1-1-1 philanthropy model. The way it works is companies pledge "leveraging 1% of employee time, technology and resources to help improve communities around the world," according to the company.
Suzanne DiBianca, the president of the Salesforce Foundation, told Coins2Day that the program's efforts have translated into over a million volunteer hours, $80 million in grants and Salesforce products donated to 25,000 programs.
The foundation started when the company was, she said. Now, "we're getting calls crazy off the hook," she explained, from other businesses looking to implement Salesforce's program.
Salesforce employees enjoy six paid days off. There's also an app that the company uses to track its employees' volunteer efforts.
See the other perks at salesforce on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
NetApp
Industry: Technology
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 40
What the company is saying: NetApp had nearly 3,500 employees who've volunteered 59,000 hours in 2014, according to the company. Employees receive forty hours of paid time off each year to work at a nonprofit or school of their choice. Tim Calder, who's been an employee with the company since 2002, uses his time to volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association. He's helped raise funds for walks in states around the U.S., including tens of thousands of dollars. He says NetApp is "empowering employees" through the volunteer program.
See the other perks at NetApp on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Stryker
Industry: Medical technologies
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 40
What the company is saying: Stryker, a Coins2Day 500 medical technologies company based in Michigan, holds the philosophy "to give to organizations that align with our company mission and support the communities where we work and live." In a statement, the company told Coins2Day that it raised "$27.5 million worth of financial support and products globally to help make healthcare better."
"We are generous about giving employees the time and flexibility they need to pursue volunteer opportunities within their communities," the company added. Numerous programs that employees take part in, for instance, center around healthcare. The company highlighted employee involvement in Operation Smile, a medical charity for children that helps performs safe, effective cleft lip and cleft palate surgery.
See the other perks at Stryker on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Cadence
Industry: Technology
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 40
What the company is saying: Cadence, like other companies listed above, offers employees five paid days of volunteer time. Tina Jones, a senior vice president for global human resources, explained that the company has seen an evolution in its volunteer program over the years. First, Cadence hosted a global fundraising effort called Stars and Strikes, a "festival" that was part team building and part fundraising for charity. The event got its name for initially starting as a bowling tournament for charity.
"Employees are really telling us that they want the freedom and flexibility" to do something meaningful to them, explained Jones. So after 2008, the company decided to begin allowing employees to use their paid volunteering time to do different sorts of projects beyond Stars and Strikes.
Leah Verhoeven, a program manager in HR, uses her volunteer time to work with Project Cornerstone, which works to make "Silicon Valley a better place for young people to thrive." Verhoeven explains its helpful that Cadence supports for volunteering, especially when she needs to take a meeting during lunch. "It's very important to me that each is supportive of the other," she said.
See the other perks at Cadence on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
VMWare
Industry: Technology
Hours of paid time off for volunteering: 40
What the company is saying: At VMWare, volunteering is called "citizen philanthropy," with two goals in mind: "The power of choice and collective impact." The company continues: "At VMware, our focus area is on our people and living our values."
Although the company declined to give the number of volunteer hours contributed by employees, VMWare said that in 2014, over 12,900 employees played a part in volunteering. "This speaks to our focus on our people and our grassroots approach to building a culture of service," according to a company spokesperson.
The company also offers donations to charity in a number of different ways. For instance, in 2014, all VMWare employees received a $100 "Gift of Giving" donation for a charity of their choice. The company also celebrates a person's 12-year work anniversary with a $12,000 grant to a non-profit of their choice.
See the other perks at VMWare on our 100 Best Companies to work for list here.
Read more about the other companies on Coins2Day's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For here.
