2015 Corporate Volunteer Awards: A Look at Finalist MUFG Union Bank
Published on "Volunteering is CSR"
What makes your employee volunteer program special?
Our volunteer program has been a tremendous success over the years. Its formal inception was in 2009, and over 300 thousand volunteer service hours have been tracked. One reason for its success is that it is championed from the very top of the Bank. MUFG’s Sr. Executive Committee endorses employee volunteerism year-round, and supports the various campaigns (e.g. Financial Literacy Campaign, Global Volunteer Month) by requesting that business units submit annual volunteerism pledges.
What impact has your program had on your office or company as a whole?
Employees feel they can do more than just provide excellent service and products. They are given the opportunity to create change in the communities where they do business via hands-on volunteering such as teaching financial literacy, mentoring, tutoring, beautifying communities through clean-ups and tree planting projects, raising funds for health research, etc. Volunteering also provides the opportunity for team-building outside of the workplace, which in turn creates a positive and friendly work environment for our employees.
What are some volunteer-related accomplishments that you’re especially proud of?
Since the inception of the volunteer program, MUFG’s dedication to community outreach has grown exponentially. During the first two years of the program, volunteerism increased over 150%, and it has continued to increase over the years to this day. We are especially proud of the new Volunteer Time Off (VTO) policy approved in 2015, through which employees are provided 24 hours, or 3 working days, of VTO annually.
Do you have a volunteer-related story you’d like to share?
It has become more and more common for our branches to volunteer as a group during bank holidays. Even though employees are provided with paid time off to volunteer, they choose to continue donating their own time to the community. Last year, one of our Los Angeles offices gathered during Columbus Day to help plant flowers and pull weeds at one of the local low-income schools in the area. And earlier this year, one of our branches located in the Pacific Northwest also set the example by volunteering during the MLK Holiday.
Stay tuned for more finalist profiles in the coming weeks, and announcement of the winners on December 1, 2015 during the 2015 VolunteerMatch Summit.
