What do you do on your days off? Catch some Zzzs? Binge-watch on Netflix? Run a few errands? These 400 employees had a better idea to spend their rest day: to volunteer and help communities.
Volunteerism is behind pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline’s Orange Day. During this day, employees get one paid day off to volunteer at a non-profit organization of their choice.
All GSK employees are entitled to employee volunteering, which means they can take one paid day off per year to pursue an authorized charity activity. Although there are multiple ways of volunteering at GSK, Orange Day is a key flagship program launched in 2009.
“We encourage our employees in GSK to volunteer and contribute to our local communities. It helps our employees gain new experiences and skills, creating a deeper understanding of patient needs. Employees come back with a different view and serve as change agents in GSK,” said Sriram Jambunathan, general manager for GSK Philippines Pharmaceuticals.
On Nov. 23, 400 GSK Philippines employees visited 16 Gawad Kalinga sites and two Smile Train partner institutions in the country, including Antipolo in Rizal, Sagay in Negros Occidental, Naga in Camarines Sur, Quezon Province, Laguna, Pasig-San Jose, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Sta. Mesa, Bataan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Caloocan, Davao, Gen. Santos, La Union, and Las Piñas.
The company believes that by volunteering, employees are challenged to think differently, develop leadership skills, and heighten cultural agility.
Further, GSK believes the employees can also be instruments in helping create positive, sustainable change for non-profit partners, and the communities they serve; and that through their experiences, they bring fresh ideas and new energy back to the company.
“One day of volunteering can have impact on the health and well-being of local communities where we operate. As well as this, volunteering is also a great way to demonstrate and live our values outside of the organization,” said Ritesh Pandey, general manager for GSK Philippines Consumer Healthcare.
As GSK medical representative Maan Bacila puts it, Orange Day serves as reminder of how blessed employees are to be part of the company. She said, “We are given a chance to share our blessings of love and abundance by inspiring people to do more and feel better, thus live longer, through improving and working on our current situations, no matter how hard or challenging it may be.”
“From the bottom of my heart, I felt fulfillment because as we are all focusing to deliver business performance this 2018, we pause for a while to share our blessings with others, not only material things but also our precious time, and warm hugs, and contagious smiles,” shared Leah Inigo, also a GSK medical representative.