We took the Time Pledge at Atlassian because we wanted to give all Atlassians the time (literally) to make a positive impact in the world. Giving back is a team effort at Atlassian. Besides, giving Atlassians volunteer-time was just the right thing to do. They bring skillsets that we've seen make a huge difference to non profits and the people they help, or problems they're trying to solve. In our busy lives, time can be one of our most precious commodities.
But as it turns out, giving your employees time off to volunteer also has the (possibly counter-intuitive) benefit of also being good for business. A 2017 NYU and Imperative Workforce Study reports that 70% of employees are more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental issues. "Do well, by doing good", is a mantra we live by.
Our tip ... embed the Time Pledge into the very fabric of your business by making it part of your company’s larger business goals and priorities and consider making it part of your teams' Objectives & Key Results (OKRs).
It’s also important to set a clear volunteering policy. At Atlassian, we extend a full five days every year for our team members to contribute their time to charitable causes. There is potential to make a larger impact with extended time off to volunteer.
AND: Leverage this community and check out the Pledge 1% Time Playbook for more insights! I’ve also seen some discussion threads within the social impact forum about volunteering time (such as this one)! These kinds of threads demonstrate the value that we can all find in this community by asking questions and vetting ideas from other social impact leaders!
