Discussion
A friend of mine is involved with an animal charity which has support from a large local employer. Their staff are allowed one day a year of paid volunteering for charity. So every so often highly paid finance and IT professionals descend on the charity and start digging holes and painting fences. Very nice of them to help, but let's just say they are not particularly skilled at these tasks.
Suppose the company allowed the staff the options of one days unpaid leave, and used the proceeds to hire professional gardeners painters electricians etc. That would cost the company about the same, but would give the charity people who actually knew what they were doing and might be far more effective.
Would that be hopelessly complex to organise?
Suppose the company allowed the staff the options of one days unpaid leave, and used the proceeds to hire professional gardeners painters electricians etc. That would cost the company about the same, but would give the charity people who actually knew what they were doing and might be far more effective.
Would that be hopelessly complex to organise?
Magic919 said:
I get a day off and they pay my wages for the day to a charity? I'm not sure an employer would see any benefit.
if the alternative is you get a day off paid, what's the difference? At the moment they are paying their staff to work at the charity instead so presumably they want to benefit the charity, so what's wrong with more benefit for the same cost?singlecoil said:
Perhaps the benefit that the company sees is as much from the 'hands dirty' experience that the staff get as the warm glow the company gets from helping the charity?
This. As much about creating more rounded staff as helping the charity. A day off doesn't quite achieve the same.Dr Jekyll said:
if the alternative is you get a day off paid, what's the difference? At the moment they are paying their staff to work at the charity instead so presumably they want to benefit the charity, so what's wrong with more benefit for the same cost?
It wouldn't be the same thing. The company will be doing it as part of its "Corporate Social Responsibility" initiatives - to be a good neighbour and build links with the local community instead of being seen as a faceless corporation, nurture teamwork and other preferred behaviours in its employees. And to fill it's intranet with cheesy pictures of Doreen from accounts in her wellies digging a big hole for a local charity so the company can pat itself on the back. Simply giving the employees the day off and bunging the cash to professional tradesmen would defeat the object of the exercise.
48k said:
It wouldn't be the same thing. The company will be doing it as part of its "Corporate Social Responsibility" initiatives, to be a good corporate citizen in the local area, and nurture teamwork and other preferred behaviours in its employees. And to fill it's intranet with cheesy pictures of Doreen from accounts in her wellies digging a big hole for a local charity so the company can pat itself on the back.
Simply giving the employees the day off and bunging the cash to professional tradesmen would defeat the object of the exercise.
That's just the problem, the object of the exercise should be to help the charity.Simply giving the employees the day off and bunging the cash to professional tradesmen would defeat the object of the exercise.
In which case the firm should select a charity for which its employees can contribute effectively.
I work for a power company. The last charity project we did was to rewire a primary school in Asia, gifted them a refurbed 125kva generator and maintained/fuelled it for the 3 years we were in their city. Our IT bods felt left out so they donated a few pcs and a projector and gave the teachers IT lessons.
A mate of mine works for a civils firm in the uk, they just went to Eritrea to build a footbridge, all company backed/encouraged.
I work for a power company. The last charity project we did was to rewire a primary school in Asia, gifted them a refurbed 125kva generator and maintained/fuelled it for the 3 years we were in their city. Our IT bods felt left out so they donated a few pcs and a projector and gave the teachers IT lessons.
A mate of mine works for a civils firm in the uk, they just went to Eritrea to build a footbridge, all company backed/encouraged.
Dr Jekyll said:
That's just the problem, the object of the exercise should be to help the charity.
Yes....by using the employees of the company. If the charity is not benefiting then it defeats the object of the exercise and someone from the charity should speak up. I'm sure the company would be mortified and address it quickly if informed.48k said:
Dr Jekyll said:
That's just the problem, the object of the exercise should be to help the charity.
Yes....by using the employees of the company. If the charity is not benefiting then it defeats the object of the exercise and someone from the charity should speak up. I'm sure the company would be mortified and address it quickly if informed.Dr Jekyll said:
48k said:
Dr Jekyll said:
That's just the problem, the object of the exercise should be to help the charity.
Yes....by using the employees of the company. If the charity is not benefiting then it defeats the object of the exercise and someone from the charity should speak up. I'm sure the company would be mortified and address it quickly if informed.48k said:
Well.... ermm.....durh??? You appear to be complaining that you get an accountant to paint a wall and he doesn't do as brilliant a job as a professional wall painter. I'm struggling to empathise with your argument here to be honest.
I'm not complaining about the accountants painting skills, I'm not complaining about anything. I'm saying that if the company really wants to help the charity paint a wall and can get a professional wall painter for the same or less cost than an accountant, then it makes sense to provide the wall painter. That's what they would do if they wanted their own office repainted.
If you got a decorating firm to provide you with a decorator and found they sent someone who was an expert accountant but crap at decorating you would query their decision. For them to reply 'ermm durh?? of course he's crap at decorating he's not a decorator' wouldn't be a good answer.
Edited by Dr Jekyll on Sunday 2nd July 18:34
Dr Jekyll said:
I'm not complaining about the accountants painting skills, I'm not complaining about anything. .
I apologise.Dr Jekyll said:
every so often highly paid finance and IT professionals descend on the charity and start digging holes and painting fences. Very nice of them to help, but let's just say they are not particularly skilled at these tasks.
blah blah........ but would give the charity people who actually knew what they were doing and might be far more effective.
Can you clarify the above because it sounded to me like you were complaining that the IT professionals from the company didn't do as good a job as someone would expect from a professional tradesman in that field, and I have clearly misunderstood the point you were trying to make.blah blah........ but would give the charity people who actually knew what they were doing and might be far more effective.
Due to my line of work we get a lot of people doing this kind of thing and asking us to deliver goods for them.
9 times out of 10 it turns into a total cluster f*ck.
We have stopped supplying these type of events now if they openly tell us that's what its for as the usually do to try and get a discount. Usually we turn up and they are a) not there b) there but not sure who ordered what, no one to sign for it etc c) ordered the wrong products and need the product swapping out and cant understand why we are now charging redelivery d) ordered the correct products and everyone ready and waiting but failed to tell us of 7.5t weight limit or low bridge, narrow access etc and that's then our fault and ruined their little shindig.
The nail in the coffin was a lady who ordered about 3-4 months back and ignored our calls when we got there to do the delivery because she thought and I quote "they wont call me, why would they call me, I mean you would text wouldn't you".... yep that was us calling you 3 times. She ended up going from screaming down the phone to crying to accusing her work colleagues of deliberately telling her that we would only text so she would screw up. So, after that we just said enough.
Sorry for the mini rant, I know, 3/10 or something.
9 times out of 10 it turns into a total cluster f*ck.
We have stopped supplying these type of events now if they openly tell us that's what its for as the usually do to try and get a discount. Usually we turn up and they are a) not there b) there but not sure who ordered what, no one to sign for it etc c) ordered the wrong products and need the product swapping out and cant understand why we are now charging redelivery d) ordered the correct products and everyone ready and waiting but failed to tell us of 7.5t weight limit or low bridge, narrow access etc and that's then our fault and ruined their little shindig.
The nail in the coffin was a lady who ordered about 3-4 months back and ignored our calls when we got there to do the delivery because she thought and I quote "they wont call me, why would they call me, I mean you would text wouldn't you".... yep that was us calling you 3 times. She ended up going from screaming down the phone to crying to accusing her work colleagues of deliberately telling her that we would only text so she would screw up. So, after that we just said enough.
Sorry for the mini rant, I know, 3/10 or something.
I was simply asking whether it might be practical for the company concerned to give their employees a third option. In addition to 'go to the charity and paint the wall' or 'come to work as normal', could they have an option of 'take a days unpaid leave and the company will spend the savings on hire people to work at the charity'?
That way the charity gets someone who knows what they are doing and it wouldn't cost the company any extra. If you need a wall painted one days (maybe more than one days) work from a painter is likely to be more use than one days valiant attempt from the IT director.
That way the charity gets someone who knows what they are doing and it wouldn't cost the company any extra. If you need a wall painted one days (maybe more than one days) work from a painter is likely to be more use than one days valiant attempt from the IT director.
The company has no desire to help the charity and in most cases couldn't give a flying f
k about them or their cause. It's all about the free advertising and exposure you get from it. My brother runs an IT company doing web hosting and leased lines and has about 10 staff these days. He is constantly bombarded with this "support your community" crap from various places, mostly charities who are essentially just begging for free money/stuff. It's endless. Initially the response was a polite "fk off" to them all but then saw the potential for the free advertising so went along with it.
The last bash he did was for some charity or organisation trying to assist problem kids who'd had a rough start in life. He had a few of them in the office to learn the ropes of the business or whatever and in exchange he got glowing reports in all the local printed media and a ton of social media channels, along with umpteen pics of him and company, what they did, how great they were etc.
He openly admitted to me a few weeks later when we were having some bevvies that it was all a huge pain in the arse and while the feral kids behaved themselves when the camera was pointed in their general direction, the reality was that they didn't give a fk and were on the verge of being chucked out for being little sts. He said they probably cost him several thousand pounds in lost business, but overall the whole 'event' had generated him thousands more from new business purely from companies that had seen him in the media.
k about them or their cause. It's all about the free advertising and exposure you get from it. My brother runs an IT company doing web hosting and leased lines and has about 10 staff these days. He is constantly bombarded with this "support your community" crap from various places, mostly charities who are essentially just begging for free money/stuff. It's endless. Initially the response was a polite "fk off" to them all but then saw the potential for the free advertising so went along with it.The last bash he did was for some charity or organisation trying to assist problem kids who'd had a rough start in life. He had a few of them in the office to learn the ropes of the business or whatever and in exchange he got glowing reports in all the local printed media and a ton of social media channels, along with umpteen pics of him and company, what they did, how great they were etc.
He openly admitted to me a few weeks later when we were having some bevvies that it was all a huge pain in the arse and while the feral kids behaved themselves when the camera was pointed in their general direction, the reality was that they didn't give a f
k and were on the verge of being chucked out for being little sts. He said they probably cost him several thousand pounds in lost business, but overall the whole 'event' had generated him thousands more from new business purely from companies that had seen him in the media.Sorry to do a mild thread hijack but I've got a question about my Mum!
She volunteers in a friends shop (furnishings) as she enjoys it, and keeps her out of trouble etc. She's got no contract or any similar paperwork, I'm just a bit worried that if an antique lands on her or she puts her back out / trips over etc she won't have any employee protections or be covered on the business insurance? There's one other paid employee.
Does she need a contract with her hourly rate at £0.01 or similar?
She volunteers in a friends shop (furnishings) as she enjoys it, and keeps her out of trouble etc. She's got no contract or any similar paperwork, I'm just a bit worried that if an antique lands on her or she puts her back out / trips over etc she won't have any employee protections or be covered on the business insurance? There's one other paid employee.
Does she need a contract with her hourly rate at £0.01 or similar?
Taita said:
Sorry to do a mild thread hijack but I've got a question about my Mum!
She volunteers in a friends shop (furnishings) as she enjoys it, and keeps her out of trouble etc. She's got no contract or any similar paperwork, I'm just a bit worried that if an antique lands on her or she puts her back out / trips over etc she won't have any employee protections or be covered on the business insurance? There's one other paid employee.
Does she need a contract with her hourly rate at £0.01 or similar?
Not sure what she does need, but, any formal contract would require her to be paid at the minimum wage or better.She volunteers in a friends shop (furnishings) as she enjoys it, and keeps her out of trouble etc. She's got no contract or any similar paperwork, I'm just a bit worried that if an antique lands on her or she puts her back out / trips over etc she won't have any employee protections or be covered on the business insurance? There's one other paid employee.
Does she need a contract with her hourly rate at £0.01 or similar?
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