27 March 2003

Dublin, Ireland: Volunteering at or through the workplace helps create positive employee attitudes while enhancing relations with communities, Sharon Capeling-Alakija, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) told Irish business executives today in Dublin Castle.

Addressing a business leaders' conference on corporate responsibility, Ms. Capeling-Alakija suggested that a company's competitive edge and even its survival can depend on whether it lives up to what the public considers to be basic decency.

"People want their lives to count for something more -- that applies to you, to me, to your employees, your customers, the people who live near your offices, your investors," she said. "One of the ways to demonstrate commitment, solidarity, sharing and giving -- and having fun -- is through volunteer action. Millions of people, here in Ireland and elsewhere, volunteer close to home."

The community, she added, used to be the locus of volunteerism, but today, many volunteer projects are undertaken at or through the workplace. "This reflects a larger trend. The world of work is assuming a more important place in people's lives. For many employees, the workplace is their community," she said.

She urged business leaders to infuse principles of corporate accountability into key aspects of business strategy and practice.

During the one-day conference organized by Business in the Community Ireland, 16 leading Irish companies delivered workshops on workplace, marketplace, community and environmental practice.

Later in the day, Ms. Capeling-Alakija will address a ceremony relaunching the latest edition of the Comhlámh "Coming Home" book - a guide for development workers returning to Ireland.