Sustainability & CSR
CSR- Sparking enthusiasm for social engagement
Bosch Taiwan motivates its associates to volunteer
By Bosch Taiwan
The assumption of responsibility for society and future generations has a long tradition at Bosch. In the early days of the company, Robert Bosch, the founder of the company, pioneered the launch of welfare programs for associates and their families; in non-business areas, too, he played an active philanthropic role. Today, 92% of the Bosch Group’s capital stock is held by the Robert Bosch Foundation, making social responsibility an absolute priority at Bosch.
With the same spirit, Bosch Taiwan has also devoted itself to charity, environmental protection, and road safety advocacy. “As our founder, Robert Bosch, once said, ‘In the long term, an honest and fair approach to doing business will be the most profitable,’ Bosch Taiwan has strived to carry out our social responsibility and bring benefits to the local community,” said Jan Hollmann, managing director of Bosch Taiwan.
Since associates are the most valuable asset for Bosch, every member is regarded as an equal partner for embodiment of the company’s values. Therefore, in order to assume its corporate citizenship, Bosch Taiwan aspired to encourage its associates to actively participate in social and societal causes.
In 2013, the company launched the “You Made My Day” social caring program to call for active social involvement of its associates in Taiwan. The programme included the Government Uniform Invoice (GUI) donation, second-hand goods donation, and group-based volunteer activities held annually.
Since 2013, Bosch Taiwan has carried out the "You Made My Day" social caring program to encourage associates' social engagement
In view of the urges for more flexibility and diversity of volunteering, Bosch Taiwan further improved the “You Made My Day” programme to motivate more associates to take their first steps in social involvement. In 2018, volunteer leave was initiated at Bosch Taiwan and more volunteering opportunities that support women and children, the elderly, the disabled and environmental protection were included to expand our positive impact on society. With an internal volunteer platform, associates can sign up for volunteer activities that fit their interests and schedule. After completing the service, volunteers are eligible to apply for up to eight hours of volunteer leave per year, based on their actual service hours.
Christine Wang, corporate communications manager of Bosch Taiwan, explained the idea behind volunteer leave, “We envision the volunteer leave to be a trigger and a starting point for our associates’ social engagement.” It is expected that volunteers can act beyond the reimbursed volunteer leave and in turn become more committed to the local community.
Environmental protection projects have been popular among Bosch Taiwan associates
Among a wide range of volunteer events, activities that support less privileged women and children as well as environmental protection have been the most popular with Bosch Taiwan associates, accounting respectively for 38% and 24% of volunteering participation. In addition to helping women and children who are in need through a variety of projects, such as temporary babysitting, Bosch Taiwan Power Tools Division also utilized its expertise to design a bottle DIY craft course for a charity bazaar. In terms of environmental protection services, some associates are especially enthusiastic about wetland rehabilitation and coastal cleanup.
Encouraged by the volunteer leave policy and the diversified volunteer event, around half of the participants volunteered for the first time. Some volunteers were even motivated to explore different social causes. Ivy Tang from the Automotive Original Equipment Sales Division of Bosch Taiwan had taken part in various services over the past years. Tang’s first volunteering experience was to shop with the elderly living alone. “I had to listen to the grandma and attend to her needs very carefully. This reminded me that I should be more attentive to the elders of my own family,” she recalled. Tang shared that by participating in social services, she came to understand the respective needs of these less privileged groups and would definitely continue dedicating her time to such services.
Ivy Tang, an associate of Bosch Taiwan, shares that she learned the respective needs of these less privileged groups through volunteering
Bosch Taiwan believes that by inspiring and fostering associates to engage in volunteering, seeds of corporate citizenship are planted in their minds. In the future, joining efforts with committed associates, Bosch Taiwan aims to amplify its positive impact on society marginally.
