CSR has to be sustained even during difficult times

Singapore - Corporate social responsibility should not be regarded as a profit-generating programme and neglected during tough economic situations, says DHL's Singapore Express general manager Herbert Vongpusanachai.

From the 6th of August to the 10th this month, 15,000 or one-third of DHL's Asia Pacific employees will participate in DHL Volunteer Day. With 500 of Singapore employees, staff can choose to work with a beneficiary of their choice, whether it is by cleaning up the beach or volunteering with the elderly.

With fuel hikes hurting the logistics sector in general, is it still viable for DHL to spend that much time on CSR activities? The answer to that, Vongpusanachai says, "CSR is ongoing and is part of our core values as a business. Regardless of bad economic conditions, which happens every few years as a business cycle, the business continues. So to us, it is two separate issues," he adds.

Furthermore, CSR helps with employee engagement as it helps employees align themselves with DHL's values of giving back to the community and being socially responsible.

One other on-going volunteer work Vongpusanachai also cites is the Disaster Recovery Team, whereby a group of employees are activated to help out during large-scale humanitarian disasters. Comprising of 200 full-time DHL staff region-wide, the volunteers are selected based on their logistical skills.

So when a disaster such as Cyclone Nargis hits, Vongpusanachai says, the disaster response team will be activated and assist the affected areas by providing transportation, logistics expertise and other emergency provisions.

"By putting in a volunteer day, it helps us generate enthusiasm and get people involved in the community," he says.