Corporate volunteer actions are an excellent way to convey the values of the company, break the ice between employees and foster team spirit, especially in situations where volunteers who do not know each other have social contact for the first time.
Recently we encountered this situation when ACI Worldwide asked us to organize several corporate volunteer activities, within the framework of an international conference in Madrid, involving 500 employees from different countries.
The potential was huge, but the language barrier was a handicap. Therefore, one of the priorities was to strengthen communication with employees and provide very clear information. However, we had to keep in mind that, despite everything, there could be people who did not manage communicative limitations well, while others, in turn, considered it a challenge that would make the experience even more fun.
The corporate volunteer activities organized on this occasion were aimed to promote inclusion and diversity, priority lines of the recent ACI Worldwide Social Responsibility strategy.
We worked together with people with disabilities in three inclusive leisure activities: adapted sports, bowling and construction of animal shelters. We cooked with refugees favoring their integration while having a good time. Finally, we built vertical gardens together with older people.
The experience met the objectives: we achieved a moment of coexistence in which we all enjoyed equally. Everything was collected in three minutes of video that was presented that same night during a gala organized by the company. Again, communication becomes especially relevant: we always recommend the audiovisual recording of the activities, since it is a powerful tool to reinforce the feelings, record the positive experience in their memories and encourage people to continue contributing to community in their day to day.
