With one quarter to go in FY16, more than 600 people have earned their Take 5 jacket including many Symantec leaders who have embraced the challenge, organizing inspiring volunteer activities for their teams.
At Symantec, our biggest strength is our people. Our mission—making the world’s information safer—is an important one. It calls upon every employee to use their unique talents and skills to help protect our customers, families, and communities. And it relies on a culture where leadership is the job of each employee and where passion, collaboration, and accountability shine.
While there are many ways to cultivate leadership skills and strengthen teams within the traditional work environment, in recent weeks many Symantec leaders—including the Legal and Compliance leadership teams and the EMEA leadership team—have chosen to step outside the office and roll up their sleeves, Taking 5 to help both nonprofits and their own teams grow.
“The benefits of volunteering are widespread, from discovering new talents to enhancing communication skills and problem-solving capabilities,” said Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Symantec. “As we welcome in a new year, I’m thrilled to see so many of our leaders understand the value and importance of volunteerism and embrace the Take 5 challenge. A high bar has been set and I look forward to building upon the momentum and achieving a deeper level of volunteer involvement in 2016.”
EMEA Leadership Team Creates Engaging Atmosphere for Local Youth
In November as part of a team offsite, 20 members of the EMEA Executive Leadership Team, reporting to Kevin Isaac, Senior Vice President, Emerging Markets, joined together to provide a safer environment for the children that visit the Ufton Court Educational Trust, a residential center for youth—many of which are suffering from economic and social disadvantage.
Throughout the day, the team cleared woodland areas and improved overgrown spaces that had become inaccessible across Ufton Court. Their work helped to transform the organization’s grounds, ensuring the spaces are safe and available for the children to explore and enjoy.
“As a leadership team, part of our role is to build strong teams by ensuring trust and collaboration across the organization. Programs like Take 5 present an opportunity to get away from our day-to-day business duties and work together in a completely different environment to tackle unique challenges. I am so proud of our team and what we accomplished at Ufton Court. I whole-heartedly encourage all Symantec employees to get involved and give back to their communities,” said Kevin.
With the EMEA Leadership Team spread across many countries, this Take 5 activity served as an ideal way of bringing everyone together, strengthening bonds within the team, and benefiting others.
Compliance Team Goes There With Care
Last month, employees across the Legal Department, reporting to Carolyn Herzog and representing the Office of Ethics and Compliance Team, the Litigation Team, the Employment Team, and the Privacy Team, stepped up to volunteer with There With Care, a Bay Area nonprofit that provides essential services including food and clothing to children and families receiving care at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford during critical phases of a medical crisis.
The team donated healthy food and drink items and then packaged them up into “Easy Care Meal Bags” that can be consumed at a hospital bedside by patients’ parents and siblings. They also helped clean and organize the warehouse, stuff envelopes for the organization’s end of the year fundraising mailer, package up donor gift bags, as well as other tasks around the warehouse.
In addition to providing a new perspective on the challenges that many community members are facing—including people who may be Symantec customers—the experience promoted trust and camaraderie by building a sense of community amongst the team as they worked toward a common goal. The project also served as a reminder about how little things added up, can make a big impact.
“I love being at a company that is so supportive and encouraging. Take 5 and Dollars for Doers are wonderful. When we explained to the There With Care volunteer coordinator that they would not only get our group’s hands-on help because of the Take 5 challenge, but that they would also be receiving a check from Symantec for our time there, she responded ‘Wow, what a great company!’ I totally agree,” said Cameron Hoffman, Senior Corporate Counsel, Office of Ethics and Compliance.
Legal Leadership Team Gives Back at Second Harvest Food Bank
The team that reports to Scott Taylor, EVP, General Counsel and Secretary, has limited opportunities to gather together in person, and when they do, topics are generally very serious in nature. As the holiday season approached, they felt a meaningful volunteer project would be a wonderful way to both make a difference and help strengthen their team. That’s why they made the decision to Take 5 as a group and honor Symantec’s long-term commitment to Second Harvest Food Bank.
Throughout the day, each of the eight leaders disassembled pallets of food, placing produce, frozen chicken, milk, and more into bags containing specific amounts of each item which were then handed out to Food Bank clients.
“Everyone can relate to the desire to give back. The most impactful moment of the day was when a client came through who was familiar to all of us—one of the janitors who services our floor. That moment really drove home the need in Silicon Valley—people who are working incredibly hard and still need help to make ends meet,” said Scott.
Following the team’s experience, Scott encourages all managers to create opportunities to bring their teams together and Take 5.
One More Quarter to Take 5 in FY16
As we kick off 2016, we’re extremely proud of the more than 600 employees who have achieved the Take 5 milestone and are proudly wearing their jackets. With their support, we are close to surpassing the total number of hours volunteered in FY15—and we still have one quarter to go.
As Symantec leaders have demonstrated, Take 5 is something we can all do and we can do it together.
For more information on Take 5, visit:
EMEA Legal Team Volunteers to “Take Five”!
Volunteer of the Quarter – Online Safety in the Community
Cutting Edge: Transforming Our Future with Innovation
Take 5! Why Volunteering Matters
Lora Phillips is Symantec's Director, Corporate Responsibility