As it comes close to Christmas let’s take a look at some of the charitable things companies did in 2023, from sustainability to helping the homeless.
Did you know that corporate social responsibility (CSR) schemes can be a way of retaining talent? Earlier in the year, we heard from Tekenable and Teamwork – both named on the Best Workplaces in Tech 2023 list – about the merits of getting involved in charity work.
Giving back is always good, for obvious reasons. Everyone wants to work for an employer that makes an effort in the local community, so much so that candidates often ask about CSR at the interview stage, according to Noelle Mulcahy of Teamwork.
It’s easy to be cynical about things like CSR but if it’s done with care people do actually benefit. It’s worth pointing out that employees can see right through any bogus or performative attempts at being charitable so companies that do get involved are generally in it for the right reasons.
There are so many companies in Ireland that do good work in their communities, but we can only spotlight so many, so here is a small sample of the CSR schemes of 2023.
Bank of Ireland
It’s fair to say that banks aren’t known for being charitable or even particularly generous. In fact, that was probably the understatement of the year.
All snark aside, Bank of Ireland has done some good this year. In May, it partnered with Family Carers Ireland to support the members of its workforce who also work as carers.
Some 14pc of Bank of Ireland staff are carers, and the company’s partnership with Family Carers Ireland is a way of highlighting the often under-the-radar role that carers have in society.
Family Carers Ireland provides information about caring and the kinds of allowances carers might need from their bosses at the bank when they get pulled away by their caring duties.
Speaking at the partnership announcement, Kate Butler, group inclusion and diversity lead at Bank of Ireland, said that the bank employed more than 9,000 people. “While we estimate over 50pc are working parents, among that there is a significant proportion of colleagues who are also carers. We are very aware of the additional considerable challenges that they can face.”
“We are therefore delighted to collaborate with Family Carers Ireland to deliver ongoing supports and activities to ensure that members of our team, who are also in caring roles at home, are visible and receive the supports they need to thrive and advance their careers at Bank of Ireland.”
As well as the 2023 partnership, Bank of Ireland has had its own dedicated family network since 2017, made up of employees who are passionate about giving carers the recognition they deserve.
Deloitte
Throughout the past year, Deloitte has been focusing on the environment – both social and physical. Caitlin Flanagan, lead of the professional services firm’s WorldClimate sustainability programme, said employees have dedicated a total of 14,000 hours of volunteering this year.
“Throughout 2023, Deloitte has further embedded environmental and social initiatives into our business,” she said.
On the sustainability side, Deloitte teamed up with GikiZero, an app that enables employees to understand – and commit to changing – their carbon footprint.
The company also contributed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts by working with Business in the Community to produce a report on how corporates can make their operations more inclusive for all.
The report was accompanied by a pledge, called the Elevate pledge, for companies to sign up to and follow. Business in the Community has been working on these pledges for a few years now, along with many employers in Ireland. Flanagan said Deloitte’s contribution to such social and environmental projects was part of its responsibility as one of the largest professional services providers.
She also mentioned that Deloitte has continued its founding partnership with Dublin City University’s Centre for Climate and Society – the academic research centre it helped set up last year to figure out ways to respond to the climate crisis.
“The firm has supported the centre in a range of research projects and education initiatives to think and talk about the climate emergency – connecting our people and clients with the latest climate research and providing opportunities for robust, solutions-focused collaboration on key topics,” said Flanagan.
Kaseya
The IT and cybersecurity company has been busily hiring tech workers for its Dundalk hub this past year. In March, it announced it would increase hiring commitments it had made for the hub back in 2022.
Kaseya’s COO Joe Smolarski told SiliconRepublic.com in March that the company was planning to make Dundalk a major engineering and tech support hub. But it’s not just Louth the company has a presence in; Dublin has been its EMEA headquarters since 2016.
In recognition of the role Dublin has played in Kaseya’s Irish expansion, the company decided to team up with Dublin Simon Community in June of this year. Its employees collected funds for the charity, which helps homeless people in Dublin and the surrounding counties including Louth, Wicklow and Meath.
MSD
Healthcare company MSD designated environmental charity Voice Ireland as the recipient of its ‘Neighbour of Choice’ donation this year – worth more than €100,000. Previous recipients include Jigsaw, Teen Turn and the Central Remedial Clinic.
Voice Ireland focuses on the circular economy, waste reduction and encouraging communities to get involved in sustainability efforts.
It runs programmes such as Picker Pals, a schools-based scheme that helps primary school children become sustainability advocates. So far, it has worked with pupils from more than 1,000 schools in Ireland to provide them with the knowledge they need to be more sustainable in their lives.
Mindy O’Brien, CEO of Voice Ireland, said Picker Pals was an “important initiative specially designed to get children excited about sustainability from a young age, helping them to feel empowered by championing green practices with their own families and communities”.
“MSD Ireland’s support has allowed us to significantly expand the programme to a further 174 schools around the country this year, allowing us to further our reach nationally,” O’Brien added.
“Through their Picker Pals initiative, Voice has made a huge difference for thousands of children and local communities across our country,” said Mairéad McCaul, MD for MSD Ireland (Human Health).
MSD is trying to become more sustainable itself, aiming for a target of full carbon neutrality by 2025.
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