As businesses from the west flock to Asia, and with Asian businesses placing more importance on social responsibility, we are seeing a surge in employee volunteering. Seven of the world’s ten most populous cities are in Asia. In fact, there are more than 160 cities in China with a population of a million or more. While the middle class and purchasing power is rising throughout much of Asia, there is still wide spread poverty. The needs are great, so are the opportunities.
At the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington DC last week, I moderated a panel titled the same as this blog. It was a dynamic panel with representatives from India, Singapore, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Australia. One of the participants had just relocated from Hong Kong and has much experience in China. The panel was divided into two groups. Companies operating in Asia and NGOs operating in Asia Pacific. While an hour and a half dialog is not even a deep dive on any one country, we attempted to do so for the region. A region where the languages, cultures, religions, economies, government structures, infrastructure, geography, access to education and health care are varied. Yet we were able to give participants a view of some successful partnerships and programs that are currently in operation with an eye towards the similarities and differences throughout the region.
All three companies presenting were global, with Bank of America headquartered in the US, NEC in Japan, and Samsung in Korea. Three very different companies in three very different countries. All three operate throughout the region. The NGO’s were HandsOn Manila, iVolunteer (India) and Volunteering Australia. While I wish we had the transcript to give the nuances that each spoke about, there was a common theme of the volunteer programs and initiatives being relevant for the company, its location and global/local strategies/goals. For the NGOs, that it provides needed assistance of time, both skilled and helping hands, plus financial resources and in-kind support. It must be a win-win with both the business and NGO understanding each other’s needs and desired outcomes prior to the engagement.
Formalized volunteering is a newer concept in Asia than that of the US and Europe. The NGO’s present were volunteer leaders, working with other NGO’s on the value of utilizing volunteers and then how to manage them. Challenges shared include typically longer work days with less discretionary time, locals versus expats, foreign companies tend to operate in their “home” language and the often difference between what the company wants to do and the true need. Luckily, both NGOs and companies are becoming both more sophisticated and effective with their employee engagement programs creating better outcomes. And as one would imagine, Australia’s culture is much more aligned with the US in regards to volunteering than most of the rest of Asia Pacific.
As the world becomes smaller, corporate social responsibility becomes increasingly integrated within businesses. And as needs and those who are responsible for addressing them change, businesses and NGOs are collaborating on how to best harness the skills and time of employees towards solutions to some of our most pressing issues… in Asia and globally! https://pol.expoplanner.com/index.cfmdo=expomap.sess&event_id=15&session_id=3583
Great blog, thank you for sharing.