Hypertherm Offers Employees More Paid Time Off to Volunteer
Hypertherm Inc. (Hanover, NH) has expanded a program in which employees are given paid time off to volunteer in their communities.
Posted: December 30, 2021
Hypertherm said that it envisions the expanded hours will help its employees dedicate more time to volunteer roles that require a regular time commitment, such as coaching, mentoring, and helping senior citizens live independently.
“We are excited to offer this expanded benefit to Hypertherm associates, many of whom already serve in excess of 32 hours a year,” said Jenny Levy, Hypertherm’s vice president of people, community, and the environment. “After expanding our program from 24 to 32 hours in 2017, we saw an increase in the depth of associate volunteering. Our associates were able to better serve nonprofits by making long-term commitments that helped further specific goals. We expect the addition of eight more hours per associate will help us expand upon that work.”
Launched in 2003, Hypertherm’s CST program has grown from an initial 16 hours per associate. The company has found the program benefits both the community and its employees who return to work more energized and engaged with a strong sense of purpose. Nearly 70 percent of Hypertherm’s global employee population volunteered last year despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, serving a combined total of 20,222 hours. The participant rate in 2019, a more typical year, was even higher with an 85 percent participation rate and 27,898 hours served. In total, Hypertherm estimates its employees have volunteered 244,000 hours since the program’s inception.
In the program, every employee gets to choose how and where to use their CST. For example, employees can stock shelves at a food pantry, construct or repair a home for a low-income family, build a trail, coach a sports team, read with children, support STEM robotics, or serve on a town or nonprofit board of directors.
Hypertherm’s Community Service Time program is a part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility. In addition to volunteer time, the company has awarded millions of dollars in grants through its HOPE Foundation and has goals designed to lessen the company’s environmental impact.
Hypertherm makes machinery used to fabricate products.
