ADAM HELPT & LEASEPLAN: SOCIAL INEQUALITY IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS

Tessa Peetoom, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at LeasePlan, and Melissa Maikoe, Corporate Volunteering Manager at Adam Helpt, talk about the importance of corporate volunteering and why a social impact day would be a great start to bring a company, its employees and communities closer together.

Tessa, what does ‘volunteering’ mean to you?

Tessa: “Volunteering is about minding social gaps and building bridges. We usually spend most of our time with people who have a similar background and a comparable lifestyle. That’s why we tend to forget that things like living in a secure neighborhood, having enough food in the fridge and going on holiday are a privilege. Volunteering makes us shift our perspectives by stepping out of this ‘bubble’, providing help where needed and thus creating meaningful connections – not only with the community, but also our colleagues.”

You were responsible for the roll out of a new corporate volunteering policy at LeasePlan. Why should corporate volunteering be an essential part of a company’s ESG strategy?

Tessa: “Everybody should be able to participate in society, and we must create the right conditions for that to happen. By implementing a well-defined volunteering policy and stimulating employees to engage socially, companies ‘walk the walk’ in partnering with the communities in which they’re based and help create more socially responsible citizens. At LeasePlan, our employees are entitled to at least half a day off to spend on volunteering activities every year, resulting in over 32,000 hours dedicated to different good causes. We want to signal our employees that it is important to make time to contribute and give back to society. At the same time, we offer them the opportunity to grow and find a sense of purpose in life that goes beyond a paycheck.”

Melissa, you coordinate corporate volunteering activities daily. Why are corporate volunteers so important for our communities?

Melissa: “Without the help of volunteers, many services and opportunities in our communities would not be so readily available. By donating a few hours of their time, volunteers ensure that children go to school with a proper lunch, or that homeless people are provided with a warm meal. When taking elderly people out for a nice walk or organizing a afternoon full of games for people with special needs, they do not only provide people with joyful moments, but also assist health personnel who lack the time for it. That being said, corporate volunteers are not replacing paid personnel, but help social change forward by contributing to the well-being of vulnerable people and making them feel acknowledged.”

You recently coordinated a social impact day for LeasePlan. What makes an impact day such an effective way to enhance engagement in corporate volunteering?

Melissa: “In general, an impact day is an approachable way to introduce employees to volunteering and get them enthusiastic about it. Because the entire company attends such a day, employees do not want to miss out on that. Another advantage is that people from different teams and departments come together to volunteer. This allows them to get to know each other better outside the formal office setting. At Adam Helpt, we organise team building activities and impact days for group sizes, varying from six up to six hundred corporate volunteers. For LeasePlan, we have organised four different volunteering activities in an underprivileged neighborhood in Amsterdam. Based on their interest, the eighty participants could choose between gardening activities at an inclusive petting farm, painting rooms at a family shelter, helping out at a thrift shop and rejuvenating a kid’s playground.”

Tessa, what is your most touching memory of the LeasePlan volunteer day?

Tessa: “When volunteering at the playground, some of the neighborhood kids stood at the edge watching with big round eyes while we were moving bags with fresh sand to renew their sandpit and making it a safe place to play. As soon as we were done, they immediately jumped on the seesaw with a big smile. That was amazing to witness..” Adam