Corporations near and far believe that giving back to the community is an important portion of a company’s responsibility as it does business.
Aside from achieving KPIs, generating profits and delivering dividends, companies believe it is utmost important to engage with the local community and provide assistance when needed.
Presenting one such case study: Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMS)
CMS first embarked on its ‘Doing Good’ philosophy back in 2011, whereby it incorporates the values of the company – to operate for its four stakeholders.
According to managing director Datuk Richard Curtis, one of the four stakeholders is the community in which CMS operates in, and they want to contribute back to the people that grew with them in the journey for the betterment of the State.
“The act of giving is not restricted to the conventional method of physical providence, but it also means contributing our effort to building homes, which have been razed by fire, travelling into rural areas to assist with any physical labour and providing emotional support to families and homes which need them,” he said.
Gone are the days when companies used to indulge in cheque philanthropy, and consider that an act of corporate social responsibility.
In the years to come, Curtis said that CSR has evolved into a much more refined concept, where the responsibility does not translate into mere activities, but how the companies’ values resonate with their actions.
“When it becomes part of the company’s DNA, even through difficult times, CMS believes that you cannot simply shed off this piece of your identity as you have been abiding with it.
“This is the truth with CMS’s direction – we drive/promote employee volunteerism instead of handing out cheques, as we believe in taking that extra step to reach out to the community,” Curtis said.
“Focusing on sustainable projects and activities, CMS does not pick and choose what it wants to do, but rather, the group considers the needs of the community before it acts,” he added.
Employee participation in its CSR programmes is encouraged as CMS is always trying to involve its employees in any way it can while the company gives in monetary form.
Curtis explained that every employee within CMS are required, as per their key performance indicators (KPIs), to undertake a minimum of three days of community work during the year which is subsequently translated into the number of man-hours achieved.
As of 2014, CMS employees clocked a total of 52,781 man-hours for CSR activities such as fundraising charity sales, rebuilding communities, jog-a-thons, gotong-royong and many more.
“Our caring employees volunteered their time on weekends to ‘Doing Good’ for the community and raised a total of RM107,597 in 2014,” he enthused.
The funds were donated to various charitable organisations, places of worship, homes for the aged, children’s homes and sports bodies to assist them in carrying out their annual activities.
Under the fundraising activities segment in 2014, CMS employees had raised RM33,955 for Go Bald 6.0 for the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society and RM16,498.30 for Hope Place Kuching to aid the fire victims of Rumah Ngumbang, Batang Ai, Sri Aman.
The other fundraising activities were setting of stalls at the sale-of-work events organised by PERKATA Special School, Kuching Autistic Association and Sarawak Cheshire Home.
Last year, CMS employees also took part in six home-build programmes organised by Habitat for Humanity Malaysia in 2014.
CMS sponsored building materials worth RM200,000 for Habitat’s Borneo Blitz Build with CMS employees volunteering alongside international volunteers from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US to complete 14 houses within a period of one week.
CMS has also held many gotong-royong activities, with Curtis noting that when there is an opportunity to combine strengths to give back to the community, the group’s employees are always eager to lend a hand.
“Numerous ‘gotong-royong’ activities were carried out at schools, villages and places of worships throughout Sarawak including our road maintenance crews who went beyond their duties to assist villages or areas affected by road collapse, landslide or floods throughout the State,” he said.
In addition, regular blood donation drives were organised throughout the group. Many CMS employees are regular donors.
Aside from the above, CMS also promotes healthy living amongst its employees through its ‘Work-Life Balance’ programme.
As running events are on the rise in Kuching and other cities and towns, more and more CMS employees are taking part in these activities such as the Colour Rush, Road Share Run, Rat Race Run, The Spring’s Live Active Run, Charity Night Run, Kuching Marathon, The Animazing Race, Monster Dash, MRCS Charity Jog-a-thon, Maju Sarawak Run (Bintulu), Energizer Night Race (KL), to name a few.
“The highlight this year was our CMS Charity Run series which were held in Kuching, Betong, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.
“Proceeds from the runs were also donated to Hope Place Kuching,” Curtis added.
Ultimately, the good experience that exudes from the gathering of CMS employees to ‘Do Good’, to work as a team, showing compassion while improving the livelihood of the less fortunate, gives joy to the contributors as well.
All in, CMS has a dedicated division for CSR activities that does not just take into account the various corporate philanthropic activities that have taken place, but the purpose and integration of this effort into the company’s identity.
“We ensure that the ‘Doing Good’ message rings throughout the year and will continue to do so, so that we live and operate in a safe and conducive environment,” Curtis said
This case study was taken from here.