Big workforce, big hearts

A global technology, defence and engineering group, ST Engineering not only has a big workforce, but big hearts as well.

Around 75 per cent of its 15,000 employees in Singapore donated about $647,000 in 2018 to charity via Community Chest's SHARE monthly giving programme.

In addition, they show their passion for caring for the community by contributing their time and energy to volunteer work.

Mr Lim Jit Chek, chief human resources officer of ST Engineering, says: "ST Engineering has been an active participant of the SHARE programme since 1984, and we continue to encourage our employees to participate in it as part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts.

"Our community outreach programmes go beyond monetary support, as we have put in place volunteer programmes that enable our employees to serve the community meaningfully."

Dedicated to supporting and engaging the communities it operates in, ST Engineering's community contributions, in addition to its employees' contributions to the SHARE programme, amounted to $2.67 million in 2018 - with 86 per cent in cash donations and the remainder in the form of in-kind donations, management and employees' time.

Giving, interacting and sharing

Mr Stephen Lim, manager of Internal Audit at ST Engineering, first learnt about SHARE during the employee on-boarding process when he joined the group in 2016.

"I believe that a small action can create a ripple effect in someone's life, which makes it very meaningful. This is why I immediately signed up for SHARE when I got to know about it.

"Donating to SHARE is fuss-free and I can provide continuous help to make a change in the lives of the service users," he says.

Mr Lim, 40, also does volunteer work regularly. In August 2017, he volunteered at the Community Chest Sharity Day with his colleagues, where they took children from the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore to explore the River Safari.

It was an enriching experience for Mr Lim as he saw the joy and laughter of the children, who may lack the opportunity to visit the River Safari with their friends.

"It gave the children a chance to learn and interact with people outside of their social circle, building up their confidence and social skills in the process," he says.

The expenses for the volunteering event were paid for by the SHARE as One matching grant, which ST Engineering has received from the Government because of its increased support for SHARE since 2015.

Tapping on the SHARE as One grant, ST Engineering plans to expand the scale of its volunteering activities so that it can involve more staff and engage more service users, ultimately making a difference in more lives.

DO GOOD TOGETHER Encourage everyone in your company to reach out to the needy by giving and volunteering together.

Continuous support Your staff's monthly donations will provide a sustained source of funds to a wide range of social service organisations.

Double impact Under the SHARE as One programme, the Government provides dollar-for-dollar matching for any new or increased SHARE donations made from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2022.

Part of the matching fund can be used by your company to organise corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

Visit shareasone.sg to find out more about the SHARE as One programme.

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