Company Volunteers: Super special and grateful!

A few weeks ago, employees of Personio, a young international HR software company, provided lunch for the cleaning crew of Het Koffiehuis on Haarlemmerstraat. This is a place where everyone is welcome. Undocumented migrants, homeless people, have coffee there, and also work to earn a little money. They do this, among other things, in the ‘Cleaning Crew’. They ensure that the streets in the city center remain clean. After work, they always receive a free lunch at the Koffiehuis.

And now it was the turn of the employees of Personio. This company feels the social responsibility to contribute to society and translates that into action. They provide employees with the opportunity to do volunteer work during working hours. That’s why they signed up atBusiness Involved AmsterdamA joint project of the Municipality, Deedmob, and VCA to connect companies with social organizations, including by involving employees in volunteering. The project has been active for about 6 months now and is starting to bear fruit.

Cooking for the cleaning crew of the Coffee House

Rachida el Alami, the VCA project leaderBusiness involvedPersonio connected with the Coffee House where some employees volunteered. On this Impact Day, they prepared lunch for the employees of the ‘Sweeping Team’. It was a day of shopping, stirring pots and pans, serving, scrubbing pans, and finally leaving the kitchen sparkling clean. The Personio employees were very capable of this task. As if they did this daily, the (warm) lunch was ready on time, people could sit at the table, food was served, conversations were had, and it became a pleasant afternoon.Because at Personio the main language is English, just like with the homeless and undocumented individuals, the communication was very smooth and natural. One of the goals of Personio’s Impactday was to ‘provide employees with a positive experience that enriches them and inspires other employees and companies to also engage in social activities’. This goal was definitely achieved! Not only the employees of Personio, but also those of the Koffiehuis were more than satisfied with this collaboration.

Got the taste

Both parties are getting the hang of it. Together withBusiness InvolvedPersonio is looking into more initiatives where other employees can get involved, and at the Coffee House, the following group of corporate volunteers is eager to get started. Soon, two more groups of corporate volunteers will be getting involved.

Want to deploy corporate volunteers?

Contact our project manager Rachida el Alami atRead more about it on this site.This is a non-translatable content.Julia:“I am grateful that we were able to do this. I had no expectations for this day. I had hoped for a special experience. That it is special is certain. It is so beautiful to dedicate yourself to a group of people you do not encounter daily.”

Justin“My role as an amateur cook today was special, and I enjoyed it. Normally, on a regular weekday, I am in the office going from one (digital) meeting to another. To be able to do this is very special, and I would definitely like to do it more often.”