Leading recruitment specialist Hays celebrated its 50th anniversary this year by donating GBP 50,000 to charitable and community-employee driven programs across Asia and supporting a range of social and charity projects across Mainland China that are aligned with the Chinese government’s priority goal of poverty alleviation.
Hays strongly believes in backing charity programs that support people in the communities in which the company operates, enabling them to fulfil their dreams and live better lives. Under the #HaysHelps campaign, Hays offices across Mainland China are empowered to organize charitable and community employee-driven programs to raise funds and provide charitable support to those in need.
Anna Vaughan, Head of People & Culture of Hays Asia, commented on the success of the initiative: “Nothing could be more meaningful than celebrating half a century of success by giving back to the community. Having well surpassed our original target in a relatively short amount of time is a true testament to the commitment of our people at Hays Asia in supporting the less fortunate. We are extremely proud to have teams who have come up with creative ways of raising funds for the needy.
“Many of our consultants took it upon themselves to plan, organise and run these events for a good cause. At Hays, we give employees one working day a year for charitable work and many teams went above and beyond by devoting countless weekends to beat our target. It is through such dedication that much-needed funds are reaching the ill and destitute.”
The Chinese government has set poverty alleviation as one of its key priorities in order to build a moderately prosperous society by 2020 and Hays has proudly supported a range of social projects in rural and underdeveloped parts of the country to help local citizens. In rural areas, Hays has partnered with The Library Project, an organisation committed to providing a variety of "children friendly" libraries for rural elementary schools, community centres and orphanages, to open libraries in three elementary schools. Besides donating books and much needed equipment to support the educational development of local children, volunteers from Hays also visited two of the schools in the provinces of Anhui and Hebei this year to meet the students to teach English and encourage them to read more.
Hays also provides financial assistance to Bright Eyes, a charitable project organized by the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, to provide eye tests and prescription glasses to poor children in Lixin County, Anhui Province. In Shanghai, Hays has funded 1-year educational scholarships for 8 underprivileged students to attend school, and volunteers from the company offer career development support services for young students through a series of events including workshops and CV checking.
In addition, Hays works with charities focused on medical conditions. Through our partnership with CereCare, which provides rehabilitation to children with cerebral palsy, Hays volunteers visit CereCare centers to spend time with children in Shanghai and the company also donates funds to purchase rehabilitation equipment to assist the children with their educational learning and development. In Beijing, Hays collaborates with The Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute, a folk autism organization dedicated to helping children with autism learn knowledge and overcome social barriers.
“We are extremely proud to be able to support such a wide range of charitable and community-employee driven programs across China. It is incredibly inspiring to see the level of commitment from our employees who donate their time to help those in need,” says Simon Lance, Managing Director for Hays in Greater China. “As an organisation we have made it a core priority to continually improve and expand our CSR efforts in China, empowering our employees to support people and communities in need.”
Hays is also an equal opportunity employer that believes in a diverse workforce. At a high-profile workshop organized by the British Consulate General in Shanghai and McKinsey in August, Hays pledged that starting from January 1, 2019, the company will launch the Parents@Hays Continuing Plan in Mainland China to provide incentives for mothers returning to the workplace. The policy supports workplace mothers to enjoy a flexible working system, two days of additional “baby day” annual leave per year, and child support or health and fitness benefits to help returning mothers quickly integrate into the work environment and support the development of their children.
Hays Charity Partners and Projects in Mainland China:
• Bright Eyes, Cerecare, Social Society Charity Support, The Library Project, and Shanghai Sunrise.