Promoting employee volunteering at IBM

IBM has a clear community relations strategy. The majority of its outreach activities focus on technology education because, as IBM sees it, the company needs both a well-educated

What are your main responsibilities?

"Delivering corporate community relations programs in the UK. We have a set of global initiatives that are rolled out progressively around the world. My job is to adapt and implement them in the UK and to raise the profile of what we do here in the UK internally and externally."

Who do you report to, and how many people are on your team?

"I report to the corporate community relations manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, who in turn reports to the vice president of corporate community relations in the US. There are three people are on my team - one full-time and two part-time."

Which items are top of your agenda?

"We're currently promoting our latest initiative. On Demand Community/ an employee volunteering initiative. Just under a year ago we set a target of recruiting 25,000 staff around the world as volunteers in their communities. We're pretty close to achieving that target, but we'd really like to exceed it, so there is a strong push at all levels to do that. Also high on my agenda is to make sure our staff are aware of, understand and support our programs so they get involved."

What are your most pressing challenges?

"IBM is a very large, complex organization. First and foremost, we're focused on getting business results. There's a lot of information to share within the company, so getting people's attention and helping them understand what we do is a constant challenge. Raising our profile in the media is also a challenge. It's always much harder to sell and promote the good news stories."

What led you to corporate responsibility?

"I had a background in youth and community work. Prior to joining IBM, I spent 22 years in London working as a youth and community worker, running youth clubs on a day-to-day level, then moving into a managerial role. A few years ago I completed an MBA, so I was keen to practice some of my business skills, and cross the divide between the commercial world and the community and voluntary sector. This seemed to be an ideal opportunity to achieve that."

What can other practitioners learn from you?

"IBM has an excellent track record in corporate responsibility, and is well-regarded in this field. That's because of the clear strategy and focus on doing things very well within a specific area. We ensure our programs are well-managed, wellresourced, and have clear outcomes. There is something to be said for knowing what you're good at and sticking to it."

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