The recruitment industry: Giving back in a big way
Three months
ago, in InSight 315, I mentioned
the great fundraising and community work that a handful of recruitment agencies
undertake. I invited readers to advise me of any other recruitment agencies
doing great in this areas. A handful of people responded.
Here is
brief summary of what I received (I have edited much of what was sent to me for
the sake of brevity):
ManpowerGroup:
Across ANZ
In 2013 we launch our corporate giving program
‘PowerGiving’ which allows employees to donate pre tax $ to selected charities
and donations are matched by the company – our target this year is $40k+
collectively. Our charities of choice are Dress for Success, Red Cross Migrant
Program, Social Ventures Australia and Beyond Blue – all support employment and
education which relates to our corporate values.
In NZ
Dress for Success NZ – on the 19th March we
held a Charity Auction in Wellington with the aim to raise $30k plus (over and
above our Corporate giving target). Red Cross – we are currently providing
staff volunteers to support Red Cross Appeal across NZ in March and providing
education as specified.
In Australia
Dress for Success – ManpowerGroup has developed
training programs for disadvantage women to support up-skilling – the program
will be run over an 8 week period 3 times a year. We have also committed to
running a Job club with volunteers every month.
Beyond Blue – 2014 ManpowerGroup has committed to education all
SLT, HR and all levels of Management on the effects of Stress and Anxiety to
increase awareness, acceptance and support.
Red Cross – We have committed to and started education sessions
with the Migrant Services and Trafficked teams to help eligible candidates find
meaningful work. We are also providing a monthly team of volunteers to support
the ‘Telecross’ program which on a daily basis calls over 7000 elderly people
or carers who are at risk especially if they are living on their own. We also
run a blood giving competition nationally.
MedRecruit
MedRecruit funds Machine Gun Preacher, Sam Childers (there
is a movie by the same name starring Gerard Butler that you may have seen) who
leads missions to rescue Sudanese children from the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army. The first funding has
made two rescue missions happen. Here’s a link to the MedRecruit blog about the story.
Victorian Nurse
Specialists
VNS Trekers entered in the Sydney Coastrek
and trekked for endless hours and up to 100km along the Sydney coastline
between 28th February and 1st March 2014 to raise funds for The Fred Hollows
Foundation. All funds go towards supporting The Fred Hollows Foundation’s
sight-restoring work to change lives.
Watts Next
Wattsnext is committed to raising a total of $30,620.15
for Beyond Blue, an Australian non-profit organization which aims to increase
awareness and improve the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety
disorders and related mental disorders.
Armstrong
Personnel
We donate $100 to any of our working candidates that
are raising funds for a special charity so anything from Mother’s Day Classic
to Around the Bay bike ride.
We support Movember with one of our consultant’s
participating each year and Armstrong contribute.
We always take a table at WaterAid Ball (10 X $440) plus
donation of $500. We go as a team and don’t use it as a marketing or client
event; it is just about having some fun and raising funds.
We participate in the Mothers Day Classic as a company
with our families.
We have a team of 3 in the End Cancer Walk and have
been sponsored by Advance Pet. Armstrong are donating to this as well as giving
support with training and fundraising.
Clicks IT
Recruitment
For the last 7 years Clicks has sponsored one of the
largest teams in Run for the Kids, an event that supports the
Royal Children’s Hospital. Clicks invites its staff, contractors, clients and
their families to participate, providing Team Clicks t-shirts, race packs, and
brekky vouchers. Team Clicks, with over 700 runners, has donated over $25,000
to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Similar to Run for the Kids, Clicks supports the Heart Foundation in the same way in Canberra, sponsoring a corporate team each year
since 2010 in the Canberra Times Fun Run.
Each year we hold the Fenton Cup, a charity golf day
for our clients in Victoria that raises funds which are donated to the Cancer
Council of Victoria.
Clicks’ Managing Director, Ben Wood, participated in
the 2013 Vinnies
CEO Sleepout to assist more
than 100,000 Australians who find themselves homeless each night of the year.
Ben was extremely proud to raise over $8000 for the cause.
Our Chairman, Tony Beddison AO, is Chairman of the Prince’s Charities Australia and a Director of the Australian War Memorial ANZAC
Foundation. From 2004 to 2012
he was Chairman of the Royal
Children’s Hospital, Director of the Royal
Children’s Hospital Foundation and Director of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Clicks financially supports the time Tony spends on
his many philanthropic enterprises.
Johnson
Recruitment
CEO, Barry Vienet will be participating in his 4th St Vinnie’s CEO Sleepout to
raise awareness and funds to combat homelessness in Australia.
Hays
In 2014 everyone in Hays in Australia voted on our
chosen charity and selected Beyond Blue, so we have committed all our
fundraising efforts to their cause through to May 2015.
There are
already a lot of plans in place for 2014 including golf days with raffles and
silent auctions, annual trivia and outdoor cinema nights planned, but
the majority of funds are raised by employees doing individual stunts and
sporting events or simple things such as baking great cakes and selling them!
Any dollars raised are matched by Hays.
We have a charity committee made up of all levels of
people across the country and they plan, run and manage the events in their
local regions. Our intranet is updated monthly with the running total so all
can see how we are progressing to our targets.
We do the same thing in every country (different
charities). Just over £200,000 was raised globally last financial year.
The Sir David Martin Foundation, a non-profit that
helps homeless and disadvantaged people, benefited from working with the Hays
Advanced Management Program (and vice versa) in the past few years.
Talent Nation
Talent Nation just obtained B
Corporation certification, joining a community of 950 organisations
globally and 19 in Australia. The mantra is people using business as a force
for good but it is effectively recognising organisations that have been
established with more than just profit in mind.
You are assessed on your impact on the environment,
community, governance and how you treat your staff and although we have
qualified, it demonstrates that we still have a way to go. There are some high
profile companies on-board such as Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and Etsy and
the first Australian listed company has just been accredited.
Thank you to everybody who responded and a big
congratulations from me for all the superb work you are doing to make the world
a better place.
Related articles:
Thank you recruiters, you’ve done a
fantastic job (said me and many others)
A Lesson in Humility by John Colebatch