At Micro Focus, September is our INSPIRE Month of Volunteering.
Inclusion is at the heart of the INSPIRE program, and through our volunteering efforts around the world we have already helped many communities thrive this year. At Micro Focus, all employees receive four days to volunteer each calendar year to make a positive impact on our planet and society – from fighting poverty in local communities to supporting environmental non-profits.
This month, employees around the world have come together to take part in our INSPIRE Month of Volunteering. Led by INSPIRE Ambassador volunteers, employees will be meeting in person and virtually where they can make a difference to communities close by and further afield.
The premise is simple: colleagues can schedule and take part in virtual volunteering sessions available in their local language to support tens of thousands of non-profits and charities local to them and around the world. All sessions are aligned to the five United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Micro Focus has chosen to support:
- No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
- Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Decent Work & Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all
- Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
The activities we plan to undertake during the month will help make a difference to people across a variety of areas, including empowering girls and women, protecting our planet, and enabling people from marginalised communities to stay safe online.
In North America, for example, teams are gathering to support a variety of causes including helping minority owned small businesses embrace digital technologies to grow, coaching seniors to safely navigate basic cyber security threats, as part of a digital curriculum, as well as recording audio books for children to help them become competent readers. In addition, one team is learning sign language to create supportive video messages in American Sign Language for people with hearing loss.
In EMEA & APJ, the INSPIRE team has pre-scheduled virtual volunteering sessions where colleagues can inspire young people about the exciting careers ahead of them by recording a short video about their own career journeys.
However, it’s not just charitable causes who benefit from our volunteering program, our people thrive too. At Micro Focus we understand the importance of providing our people with the right tools and opportunities to help them support causes close to their hearts, which often go beyond their daily responsibilities. By doing so, we strengthen our corporate culture and boost employee morale, leading to a fulfilled workforce and better business outcomes. Best of all, we nurture a diverse community of like-minded people who are proud to work for an organisation committed to transforming the lives of others. “It means a lot to me that Micro Focus indirectly contributes to our communities by supporting these activities,” a colleague recently told me. “Not just with words but with actual time to volunteer.”
Follow our progress during the next month by joining us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Use the hashtag #MicroFocusINSPIRE to stay updated on the latest stories showcasing how our efforts today, impact tomorrow. You can also visit our dedicated INSPIRE page to learn more about our global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program designed to cover multiple aspects of what it means to be a socially and environmentally responsible global enterprise.
