400 GSK Philippines employees volunteer for Orange Day
Volunteerism involves a person or a group of people participating in projects that are beneficial to the community’s well-being. Volunteerism is the spirit behind GsK’s orange Day, when employees get one paid day off to volunteer at a nonprofit organization of their choice.
on november 23, 400 employees of GlaxosmithKline (GsK) Philippines visited 16 Gawad Kalinga sites and two smile train partner institutions in the country, including Antipolo in rizal, sagay in negros occidental, naga in Camarines sur, Quezon Province, laguna, Pasig-san Jose, muntinlupa, Pasig, santa mesa, Bataan, Cagayan de oro, Cebu, Caloocan, Davao, General santos, la union and las Piñas.
“We encourage our employees in GsK to volunteer and contribute to our local communities. it helps our employees gain new experiences and skills, creating a deeper understanding of patient needs. employees come back with a different view and serve as change agents in GsK,”said sriram Jambunathan, general manager for GsK Philippines Pharmaceuticals.
All GsK employees are entitled to employee volunteering, which means they can take one paid day off per year to pursue an authorized charity activity. Although there are multiple ways of volunteering at GsK, orange Day is a key flagship program launched in 2009.
the company believes that by volunteering, employees are challenged to think differently, develop leadership skills and heighten cultural agility. Further, GsK believes that they can also be instruments in helping create positive, sustainable change for nonprofit partners, and the communities they serve; and that through their experiences, they bring fresh ideas and new energy back to the company.
“one day of volunteering can have impact on the health and wellbeing of local communities where we operate. Besides this, volunteering is also a great way to demonstrate and live our values outside of the organization,” said ritesh Pandey, general manager for GsK Philippines Consumer Healthcare.