Johnson & Johnson Introduces Global Pro Bono, A Program That Gives Employees Time Off to Volunteer
In the fall of 2017, Johnson & Johnson employees in North and Latin America were presented with an unusual opportunity.
Their mission, if they chose to accept it: pack their bags for a four-week stint in Latin America, where they'd use their skills to help nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) run more efficiently, overcome unique hurdles and better reach their goals.
The program, Global Pro Bono, is part of a new company initiative designed to tackle social causes by harnessing the power of its most powerful resource—its people. It's an offshoot of a successful program known as the Corporate Citizenship Trust Secondment Program that's been offered to company employees in Europe, the Middle East and Africa since 2014.
“Through the Secondment Program, employees agree to take a six-month assignment away from their jobs to help a nonprofit grow and be more successful,” says Yezenia Ramos, Senior Manager, Employee Engagement, Johnson & Johnson. “The participants come back as different people—that's how moved they are by their experiences. We wanted to create a similar opportunity for employees in North America and Latin America that didn't require as much time away.”
Ultimately, 11 employees were selected to participate in the program's inaugural year—which wound up being just as impactful as Ramos had hoped.
But don't just take our word for it. Hear from four members of the freshman Global Pro Bono class, who share what it was like to do good through work thousands of miles from home—and return home with a newfound sense of purpose in life.
When Lifson first heard about Global Pro Bono, “I thought it was a cool idea, but I never believed I could leave work for an entire month,” she says...