Why I Love My Work - Every Employee Every Community Hours

It's been a while since I've had a Why I Love My Work entry, but today was a good reminder to make one.  I started this series because wanted to write about the things I love about my work.  Reminders of the positive, the blessings we have in life, the things to be truly grateful for.  And there are many, many reasons why I love what I do right now and the company that I work for.  Here I'd like to focus on one benefit of working for such a large company.

One of these benefits is the community oriented focus the company can have.  At Level 2, I previously headed the charitable giving initiative, running the nomination process within the company, so that employees could nominate worthy causes for grant funding awarded annually.

At Cummins, the focus is more on direct involvement.  While the company does make substantial financial donations, they also work to enable every employee to be able to volunteer and donate their time in their community.  One such way is through EEEC hours or Every Employee Every Community hours.  Put succinctly, the company allows and encourages and enables every employee to do four hours of community service each year on the clock during their working hours.

This means you can and are encouraged to find a place to volunteer and it will be factored in as a part of your day.  It's not something you have to find time for in your off time.  And Cummins also has a list of organizations and opportunities to partner with.  

Today, I took part in a volunteer organization I've taken part in for the past two years, teaching technology literacy to fifth graders at a local elementary school. We teach editing a presentation using copy, paste, rotate, and resize.  Creating a folder and moving documents within it.  Internet safety.  Making screen shots and snippets.  Using spreadsheets and other computer tools.

The past two years were virtual and this year we finally got to get back in the classroom.  It went so much smoother.  We were able to keep their attention and get them all involved in working through the practice steps.  

It was truly a wonderful experience and I'm glad to be a part of it.  I'm glad Cummins provides me this opportunity - because otherwise, I don't know if I would have found it.  I don't know that I would have chosen it for myself if it wasn't presented as an option through the company. 

It's something small, at least in terms of all the work I do for Cummins.  But I am ever grateful for it.