It is widely known (and demonstrated ) that volunteering makes employees happier, more loyal, and increases satisfaction with their jobs.
This blog post is the second in a series based on “Demonstrating the Business value of Pro Bono Service“, a whitepaper which identifies business benefits of pro bono and spotlights corporate best practices. The current issue highlights GSK’s PULSE program which has successfully leveraged pro bono service to innovatively train and develop the company’s future leaders. In short, pro bono service, through experiential learning, is among the most effective training opportunities that can be provided to employees.
A leading global pharmaceutical company, GSK is committed to helping people do more, feel better and live longer. In 2009, GSK developed the PULSE Volunteer Partnership as a leadership development and service program. Since its founding, nearly 200 high-performing employees have been sent around the world to share their professional skills and expertise with domestic- and internationally-based nonprofit organizations through three or six-month immersive experiences. So far, PULSE has placed volunteers in 41 different countries with 56 NGOs. From Canada to Bolivia, Kenya to China, Haiti to India, PULSE’s global focus has enabled volunteers to contribute to communities worldwide while benefiting from professional development through leadership growth and skill development.
Fostering Innovative Training Services
The PULSE Volunteer Partnership is designed to develop three unique skills – flexible thinking, building relationships and enabling/driving change – which GSK views as core competencies critical for its future leaders. PULSE Volunteers receive a two-day orientation training that begins to equip them for some of the differences and challenges that they may confront while working in the non-profit sector and/or the developing world. This helps them to think about how they may have to flex their expertise and skill-set in different ways in order to be effective in their new environments. In addition to PULSE volunteers who go on assignments, the program also offers a development opportunity to a greater number of employees since the PULSE volunteer’s colleagues at GSK (home team) must cover the role and responsibilities of the volunteer while s/he is out on the assignment.
“I am delighted to have an engaged manager [PULSE Volunteer] who has transformed into an effective leader – a transformation so rapid and wide-ranging that even the best of training interventions may not be able to match ”
– Shubhajit Sen, Director of Marketing, GlaxoSmithKline, CH India
Increasing Employee Motivation
GSK encourages regular communications between the PULSE volunteers and their home teams throughout the period of the assignment, which motivate employees who feel like an integral part of the journey. When PULSE volunteers return to their home teams, they are expected to share their experiences with co-workers by discussing not only the impact they had on the nonprofit partner, but also the impact the program had on them personally and professionally, as well as the impact that they hope to bring back to GSK.
“Our Volunteer return with greater focus on the patient; they return as leaders with greater passion, energy, confidence, creativity, gratitude and practical knowledge of how to do more with less .”
– Ahsiya Posner Mencin, Director, PULSE Volunteer Partnership, GlaxoSmithKline
Broader Visibility within GSK
While the external benefits and social impact created by the PULSE program are clear, GSK wanted to clearly articulate the benefits of the program to GSK management and senior leadership. To do so, they designed the PULSE program as a part of the HR department, demonstrating that the program raises the bar for talent development for future leaders within GSK – a clear form of ROI for all.
“In its short life in the company, PULSE has already become a big part of what GSK stands for .”
– Ahsiya Posner Mencin, Director, PULSE Volunteer Partnership, GlaxoSmithKline
GSK’s pro bono model is a powerful way to train future global leaders; improve employee morale, motivation and retention; and recruit the next generation of talent – all while supporting community challenges and positively impacting communities around the world.
Ask yourself: Is my company benefiting from providing pro bono service? If the answer is not yes, we encourage you to learn more by reading the full whitepaper.
