BlogBreak

By Reality Check

September 19, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this

Our company does and it is a wonderful benefit. But like anything else, when you actually use it, you have to deal with negative comments from people who feel you are out of the office too much.

By Becky

September 19, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this

No, my office doesn’t do anything like this..As Reality Check said, if some did, others would find soemthing to grumble about..And the other half are to lazy to do anything…

By Living the Dream

September 19, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this

Community Service is one of the main themes of the company where I work. We are given several opportunities during the year when we can volunteer on company time, and we are also encouraged to volunteer outside of work as well. It’s a great way to bond with your co-workers while at the same time giving back to the community. Care is taken when scheduling these activities, to ensure that the workload at the office is properly covered while others are out.

By Reality Check

September 19, 2008 8:40 AM | Link to this

Becky I love my volunteering and I even heard one co-worker say to another, must be nice to leave early once a week and enjoy it — meaning volunteer work should be work not enjoyment. You can’t win….you just can’t.

Of course, when I was out for 2.5 weeks when my Father had a HEART ATTACK AND QUAD BYPASS, they grumbled I was out too long, one even had the balls to say it to my face.

By momtoAlex&Max

September 19, 2008 9:05 AM | Link to this

Companies have absolutely no business meddling with employee’s volunteer time. I hated it when I was corporate. I worked 9-10 a day and had a family to take care of. I certainly did not want to spend any more time in the company of those people outside work hours AND doing what the company thought was worth-while.

I volunteer my time with things that matter to ME, not some socially-conscious company. I volunteer in my children’s schools and my church. I do not have time to build someone’s house for Habitat or feed the homeless. My church contributes to those causes through my donations. Enough.

By Me 2

September 19, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this

Our company encourages community service and gives us paid time off to participate. They try to make sure to offer different ways to appease the nay-sayers, but of course you have your grumpy-frumpy folks that can’t imagine doing anything for any one other than themselves. I just let them stew in their own misery soup!

By Becky

September 19, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this

Reality, that’s the way it would be in my office..I have one coworker that won’t even get up out of her chair to do something if she can just roll her chair across the floor..

We had a former coworker that we lost to Breast Cancer about 5 years ago..When I got info about walking in the walk in Oct., noone would volunteer because it’s to far of a walk..

So to all that can do this thru your company, enjoy it..I’ll keep doing mie outside of the company..

By Hypocrites

September 19, 2008 9:30 AM | Link to this

If you’re being paid to volunteer, then you’re not volunteering (Duh!). Sounds like a liberal Democrat idea to me - pay people to “volunteer” then brag about all the volunteering they do when in actuality, they contribute less than most conservatives. Senator Biden makes over $2 million a year yet he gave less than $3000 to charities over the past DECADE? I give more than that to various charities every year and make under $150,000.

By Blue Devil

September 19, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this

My company expects me to participate in their crappy community service projects. Yeah, that’s what I want to spend my Saturdays doing…picking up garbage in some ghetto south Atlanta neighborhood while its residents sit on their stoop drinking malt liquor at 10 AM.

By Becky

September 19, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this

Noone is saying that they only volunteer because they get paid for it..It just makes it a litlle easier to do it..As someone else posted, after working 8 hours a day, driving home, cooking, cleaning & blah, blah, it’s tough some times to go out & volunteer..I make less than $50 grand a year & I support myself, 2 teenagers & have grandbabies on the weekend & I donate money as well as time.. So go to the Dr. & get a cast put on your arm that you broke patting yourself on the back & enjoy the rest of the day..

By Duckie

September 19, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this

I love volunteering because it feels good to help the community and I like to help organizations that are focusing on making the world better. The company I work for encourages volunteerism, which I think is wonderful. However, in order to participate during the week, I have to do so either unpaid or using my PTO hours due to my “hourly” status. Being a single-income HH, underpaid, and with PTO being the only time I get off at all, I can’t afford to lose a day’s worth of income. This sitatuion prevents me from being able to volunteer as a part of the company if/when they go into the community during the week…and p** me off to no end because it limits the efforts I could be putting towards the community. It stinks that I want to represent my company in doing good, but am stifled from doing so.

By Reality Check

September 19, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this

Sure they wouldn’t moan if it was a company sponsered weekend event — Habitat For Humanity, who I will NEVER work for again. Firstly, I signed up and when I parked it was insulation day. They had laymen installing insulation with NO MASK AND NO GLOVES. Glad to help, but not willing to die for somebody to have a house. So I got in my car and drove home. The second time was paint day — ok. I stayed provided they would either 1) open a few windows — no or 2) let me paint outside. So I did doors and shutters. Ok fine. I walked down the street to my car to have a smoke. The head volunteer CHASED me down the street saying I could not takes breaks as I wanted. We got a lunch break I could smoke then. Some appreciation.

By Mike D

September 19, 2008 12:10 PM | Link to this

No company I’ve ever worked for paid for volunteering. However, I make sure I poop everyday at my office, so I can say I got paid to take a shyt.

By ls

September 19, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this

Yes, my company gives us 24 hours a year to volunteer. And it is during normal working hours. We do Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Atlanta Food Bank, March of Dimes, plus several more. We even have fund raisers during the year to help support “our” charities.

By def

September 19, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this

My employer does pay us for time off. It’s called VACATION. What I do on my vacation is my business. If you are paid for your time, then it is not VOLUNTARY. It is paid work.

By Sam

September 19, 2008 1:58 PM | Link to this

As the owner of a company with over 50 employees I am sure that this voluntered time will just become “de-facto” vacation such as “sick days”. Call me a cynic but in 40 years of working I have probably been out sick 5 days. Almost every person in my company takes their sick days.