One of the most impressive corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives I have come across is SAP’s sabbatical program. As SAP’s Brittany Lothe, head of the company’s corporate responsibility department, explained to me a few weeks ago, the program is a win-win for SAP and the communities abroad in which its up-and-coming employees work for four weeks. One project, in which a group of employees including Evan Welsh was involved, involved working with
itinerant trash collectors in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Welsh and his colleagues worked with a local NGO, ASMARE, to work on the organization’s technology infrastructure, business processes and boost its efforts to sell the
beautiful works of art the
catadores make out of rubbish.
Rather than sending money or conducting a few token hours of volunteer work, SAP’s sabbatical program helps build economic opportunities and empower the poor in developing countries. But the fact that SAP employees learn new leadership skills, can network with colleagues in other departments and learn about new emerging markets makes this program a winner. I was so inspired that this ended up being one of the favorite articles I have completed for
Guardian Sustainable Business. More businesses should follow SAP and pick up where international development agencies too often fall short.
Photo of chairs and table made out of recycled oil drums courtesy
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division,
GGP Media.
Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based
Triple Pundit,
Inhabitat and now
The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's
Architect Magazine.
Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
One of the most impressive corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives I have come across is SAP’s sabbatical program. As SAP’s Brittany Lothe, head of the company’s corporate responsibility department, explained to me a few weeks ago, the program is a win-win for SAP and the communities abroad in which its up-and-coming employees work for four weeks. One project, in which a group of employees including Evan Welsh was involved, involved working with itinerant trash collectors in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Welsh and his colleagues worked with a local NGO, ASMARE, to work on the organization’s technology infrastructure, business processes and boost its efforts to sell the beautiful works of art the catadores make out of rubbish.
Rather than sending money or conducting a few token hours of volunteer work, SAP’s sabbatical program helps build economic opportunities and empower the poor in developing countries. But the fact that SAP employees learn new leadership skills, can network with colleagues in other departments and learn about new emerging markets makes this program a winner. I was so inspired that this ended up being one of the favorite articles I have completed for Guardian Sustainable Business. More businesses should follow SAP and pick up where international development agencies too often fall short.
Photo of chairs and table made out of recycled oil drums courtesy
