Volunteering and fundraising have long been part of Seetec’s DNA. As an employee owned, community-focused organisation delivering contracted public services, we put volunteering front and centre in our social value pledges. Seetec Ireland’s Employee Champions have chosen 2023 as the year we ask our colleagues to put renewed focus on volunteering efforts that address the specific barriers to potential that affect our clients and communities, in a bid to deliver lasting social impact.

With two paid volunteering days for all colleagues and a Community Investment Fund that matches our employee owners’ fundraising efforts, our record of supporting charitable projects in our communities is strong. The question is: can we make it stronger, and can we better direct our support to where our clients and communities need it most? Seetec Ireland’s Employee Champions believe so.

As part of the Employee Champions’ new objectives, they are planning Team Volunteer days for every centre and calling it: Strengthening Our Communities Through Voluntary Support. Our teams will choose the community organisations or charities that we know are making a difference in our client’s lives. Ahead of a team volunteering day to support or fundraise for our chosen organisations, we will ask these vital community stakeholders to visit our centres and talk about their work in our community and find out what we can do to help them.

Quality and Compliance Specialist and Employee Champion for Athlone, Gillian Harrington says this:

“Our service exists in the context of our wider communities. We have a diverse range of clients, some of whom may be facing complex barriers to sustaining full-time employment. Our Employment Advisors also have a wealth of knowledge of all their local community groups and are trained in pointing them towards resources and signposting our clients towards any available supports.”

Employment Advisor and Employee Champion for Aungier Street in Dublin City Centre adds:

“There are so many local groups and organisations that we see helping our clients. It’s important to us that each centre chooses to help an organisation that’s meaningful to them. Our centres all over the country are very different and their clients have different needs.

“It’s about giving back to the community that you’re in. The clients we help in our office are the people we meet in our streets and communities. The organisations we partner with are ones that are supporting specific needs in our own localities.”

Following the COVID-19 public health restrictions, now is the perfect time to focus our efforts outwards. Seetec’s Employee Ownership journey began in January 2020. During those unprecedented times, the Irish Employee Champions and Wellness team focused on promoting wellness, improving benefits, amenities and mental health supports for their colleagues. This approach changed our culture immensely over the past few years, earning us a Great Place to Work Certification two years in a row.

Our Employee Champions serve as the spokespeople who guarantee that every employee-owner has a say in the governance and future of our company. Our commitments to address Social Value through three core pledges developed through consultation with the Employee Council, Employee Champions and all our colleagues from across the business are:

People – we pledge to promote local skills and employment and reduce inequality.

Communities – we pledge to support growth and build healthier, more resilient communities.

Sustainability – we pledge to safeguard our planet.

Seetec Ireland’s Strengthening Our Communities Through Voluntary Support initiative is yet another example of how our teams go above and beyond to support the individuals and businesses that use our services in their local communities. Through volunteering, our employee owners are on a mission to deliver lasting social impact!