Am I the only one in Silicon Valley who doesn't drink the kool-aid?

Workday / Eng
Libertino

Go to company page Workday Eng

Libertino
Jun 29, 2018 18 Comments

This chap from Workday posted this article comparing volunteering time off policies between Workday and Salesforce.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/27/why-marc-benioff-makes-salesforce-employees-do-this-on-their-first-day.html

I like my job more than I like doing what I was doing before, but does anyone else see that if a company needs a volunteering day to make employees feel connected to the community, then something is wrong?

Does anyone else see that if we did not volunteer, we would all sit at a desk, slave away at helping our business get more revenue, and never feel connected to the community?

This is capitalism at work. Our CEOs found a way to get great PR at a reasonable cost, while boosting morale and recruiting success at the same time.

Let's be real here. Most of us don't want to go to work. It's a job. It requires effort towards someone else's problem that was created because they wanted money. I don't want to delude myself into thinking my company is good for the world because that is pretty damn debatable.

@NextDoor can stay out of this thread since they are benefiting their community directly 😉
@SalesForce can stay out if they think their product is benefitting the world because, well, I think we both know the truth. At least clean up the link farms before claiming such a thing.

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TOP 18 Comments
  • Almost everyone in PR and media pretends to drink the koolaid. No rational educated person is falling for this BS. I'm yet to encounter a single person in real life who talks about doing 'good for the world' through their employer. People who really want to do something for the world do it quietly in their own time.
    Jun 29, 2018 3
    • Microsoft
      F27D

      Go to company page Microsoft

      PRE
      Amazon
      F27D
      People can get a benefactor high from thinking they are saving the world but most of us value these programs for deeper reasons. You might be too young to know it yet but no matter how privileged you are, life is rough. We all lose relatives and friends to disease, we all see the impact of poverty on people with mental illnesses, and we see the effects of violence in families.

      Charity matching and volunteer programs are a win-win letting the company signal they care about people but then actually allowing us to be human and ease some suffering in a space we care about. If you’re in the US you might be surprised to learn how easily our system can fail us and how many people’s health and safety relies on charities. It’s not about ego if you understand the gaps between what our systems say they offer and what they actually offer.
      Jun 30, 2018
    • Workday / Eng
      Libertino

      Go to company page Workday Eng

      Libertino
      OP
      I donate to charity on my own. I donate to things that I believe in more than the 10 charities for which my company offers matching. The match only makes a difference if you were going to donate to that charity or cause anyway and want to add your company's money to it, which they could easily do themselves but don't because they want you to feel included and valued. Don't you see they're playing you?

      It's fine to play them back if it's in your interests, and again these programs can do some good, but for me it's important to remember what's really going on... that these programs were only chosen because they are predicted to increase my engagement and retention, while all other "reasons" provided are just to make the admins / CEOs feel good and get good PR.
      Jun 30, 2018
  • So I don't drink the Kool Aid, and I actually don't participate in the volunteering events as they are totally voluntary. But I do think it's a kinda nice that they offer it. These volunteer events are usually during work hours, and it's really just a team building exercise. You can either go clean up the beach for the day with your co-workers or keep working. Either way is fine and the former is actually encouraged. They are scheduled during sprint planning. Some people like that break in the week and some don't. I'm the latter but I'm glad others are enjoying themselves. And yes it makes good PR. And no, it's not the most effective use of people's time and money.
    Jun 29, 2018 1
    • Workday / Eng
      Libertino

      Go to company page Workday Eng

      Libertino
      OP
      Yeah I think it's nice as well. It's just nice compared to what we would otherwise be doing (working). I don't think most of us would choose to do team building exercises with 10 random business people instead of spending time with our family.
      Jun 29, 2018
  • That’s how well done PR looks like. It is not just a single point but part of a whole narrative and is cultivated over time. FB pr on the other hand is like trying to contain a flood.
    Jun 30, 2018 0
  • By the way, who cares if it makes good PR? The people receiving the benefits don't. Whenever Salesforce sets up an volunteering event, they have to pay some fee to hold it. I'm sure that non profit are more than happy to receive it. I mean, Marc Benioff came out and said that he's going to solve San Francisco's homeless problem. Not sure if he can, but I'm glad he's going to try. If he helps, then I say keep giving him good PR. There's a shit load of things I don't like about my company, but this thing isn't really something that I get worked up about.
    Jun 30, 2018 0
  • Apple
    Okidoki

    Go to company page Apple

    Okidoki
    I like volunteering events opposing to just regular volunteering events. It is helpful to talk to coworkers informally, better understand them and team-building events help with that. Thanks to volunteering you also manage to do something useful along with it. I also like that we have standalone volunteering hours to use which enable me to volunteer during work hours and opens up opportunities I might have not had previously.
    Jun 29, 2018 6