Shobha Ramswamy

Somewhere within every human being lies a longing to reach out to others. Volunteerism — the mobilising of employees for social causes — encourages that and more.

There's a lively atmosphere of chatter and laughter as more than a dozen children learn the three Rs at the Rallis Akansha Centre, which operates from the JJ School in Mumbai. The centre provides a few hours of non-formal education each day to destitute street children. After the completion of one year, about 60 per cent of these kids will join a regular school and, hopefully, get the education that will enable them to lead better lives. As, if not more, important than the money that Rallis contributes to this cause is the time and effort that the company's employees expend with these kids.

To produce social change, ordinary people have to be involved; that's the belief gradually taking root in corporate India. Companies are increasingly taking responsibility for wider community initiatives, and volunteerism — the mobilising of employees for social causes — is a crucial component of the philosophy driving this development. At Rallis and other Tata enterprises, volunteering has come to be recognised as critical for skill development and the cultivating of value systems.

None of this is really new to Tata companies, given that workplace volunteerism is a part of the culture of most group enterprises. Says Shakti Sharma, head of Tata Steel's Social Services and Family Initiatives wing: "Volunteering has become a buzzword now, but Tata Steel and its employees have had that spirit forever. In fact, we have 54 employees working full-time in community development."

Be it a natural disaster, an immunisation drive or Aids awareness camps, more than 4,000 employee volunteers at Tata Steel have willingly lent a helping hand. The company allows them flexibility to take time off from office work for community or disaster relief work. Some staffers took an entire month off to serve on the Lifeline Express, which takes medical facilities to rural India by train. In Rallis, employees have got together to establish 'Rallilove', which works on projects in education, the empowerment of women and the girl child, health, and support and relief for the destitute. The Rallis Akansha Centre is one such programme.

"The idea of giving back to society is a great motivator," says S. Ramadoss, general manager (HR) at Titan, another Tata company where volunteering has a strong tradition. "Personally, it gives me great moments of joy. Volunteers are also role models and ambassadors for building a positive culture." The volunteer both gives and receives. In the process, everyone — volunteer, organisation and cause — gain substantially.

With most of Titan's employees coming from a socio-economically backward region, community initiatives were an imperative for the global watchmaker from the time it was established. Employees pool their own resources, which essentially mean time, money and effort, to address the needs of society. The company's endeavours have been recognised through several awards, including the prestigious Mother Teresa honour.

Unlike in earlier days, community activities are now strategically devised to craft a coherent, focused programme that maximises impact, motivates employees, and encourages participation at the senior levels. In Indian Hotels, what was initially a special event activity — employees organising a Diwali or Christmas show for poor children — has been transformed into a process-driven volunteering system. From a defined matrix, employees pick their preferred cause.

"We provide our employees a basket of options for volunteering and our senior executives, too, play an active role," says Bernard Martyris, vice president (HR), Indian Hotels. The company's growing number of volunteers, from 200 when it started to the present 1,500, reaffirms this statement.

Tata Steel's approach is also structured, with the establishment of joint departmental councils that plan community development activities. The company has a matrix that explains the profiles of volunteers, developed to match their skills with corresponding activities. Tata Steel maintains a formal register of volunteers listing their interests, skills and expertise, and the number of hours they have spent on social development work. It helps that the steel maker has partnerships with national and international organisations such as the Global Business Council for HIV/Aids, Brussels, the Union Ministry of Environment and others.

Community involvement is no longer about charity handouts; it's about making a sustainable difference. "We now focus on offering the community economic stability, by teaching them skills for income generation," says Mr Martyris. Adopting the theme of 'building livelihoods in the community', the luxury hospitality chain has decided to focus on areas surrounding their properties. In Mumbai, the Taj Group has taught a group of 25 women (fisherwomen from Cuffe Parade) to prepare homemade snacks. It has also, through a local women's organisation, helped them sell their products.

In Bangalore, employees of Taj Gateway helped a group of women set up their own business. Disadvantaged youth were trained in housekeeping, food production and security, areas in which they can make a career in the hospitality industry. Instead of endorsing random community projects, the stress is on engaging employees in initiatives that unleash their innate business skills and expertise.

Tata companies are creating volunteer initiatives in a way that balances business and employee interests. Nowhere is this more evident than at Voltas, where over 800 employees have down the years supported a variety of community causes. The company recently introduced two core-competency projects involving a sharing of its core skills. Engineers from across various Voltas divisions have designed a course on air-conditioning that is specifically targeted to meet industry requirements. The course is being offered at the Joseph Cardin Institute for Vocational Training in Mumbai, with volunteers providing hands-on training to poor students.

The engineering and air-conditioning giant has also donated equipment to set up an air-conditioning and refrigeration (AC&R) laboratory in the school. A diploma course in AC&R is also being offered at the K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering in Mumbai. Designed by R. S. Iyer, a former general manager at the Voltas research and development wing, this course is the first of its kind in Mumbai. "Since 2002, 37 students have completed the course and got jobs," says A. J. Gole, vice president (HR), Voltas. "They are also given hands-on experience in our factory." The company is working to replicate this programme at other centres in Mumbai.

Among Tata managers, volunteering has developed a new appreciation for the importance of communication, listening to people and managing them. Feedback from volunteers indicates that it boosts the confidence levels of employees and improves their ability to handle responsibilities.

At Tata Chemicals, employees can participate in any ongoing community development initiative or even initiate their own project, with facilitation from the community development department. Certificates of appreciation are given to those who contribute a minimum number of hours. The best volunteer, who has put the maximum number of volunteer hours, can even avail of a paid visit to any non-government organisation of his or her choice.

Community activities also help employees touch base with reality of a different kind. In Indian Hotels the importance of sensitising employees towards the community assumes greater importance, given that its people spend more than eight hours every day in a luxury world that caters to just 2 per cent of the population. Indian Hotels has joined hands with Paramparik Karigar, a non-government organisation that champions the cause of rural artisans, to develop a mandatory training programme for its management trainees. The trainees spend a month with artisans and craftsmen, learning their art, helping the general community and developing marketing plans for their products.

Says F. A. Vandrevala, the managing director of Tata Power: "The joy of giving can be truly experienced only when it come without compulsion. I believe that somewhere within every human being lies a longing to reach out to others."

Uploaded in March 2005