From increasing the diversity of our workforce and industry to reducing our environmental impacts to empowering our communities through philanthropic investments and volunteering, corporate responsibility (CR) touches every aspect of Symantec’s business. We’ve defined our strategy and are continually working towards our goals to operate as a responsible global citizen.
In addition to our dedicated global corporate responsibility team, every day Symantec employees across countries and business units collaborate to deliver on our mission of protecting our customers, our communities and our planet.
We are happy to feature a quarterly series – Inspired, United, Ignited: Symantec’s Corporate Responsibility Champions- that profiles stand out examples of our how our employees directly contribute to the implementation of our CR strategy. Some are leaders in our CR team, members of our Green Teams or champions for our employee resource groups, others are innovating to address needs in their function or region. All are inspiring others, uniting communities and igniting change to make Symantec a leading corporate citizen and to make our world a safer place.
Today we highlight Clarissa De Agrela, Website Security Solutions and SSE Site Coordinator at Symantec Cape Town, South Africa.
- Please describe how your role supports Symantec's Corporate Responsibility initiatives and strategy – both globally and within your region?
As the Site Coordinator for Symantec’s Cape Town office, my primary responsibility is ensure we have an Emergency Response and Evacuation (ERE) team in place, enough coverage as we are a growing location that works around the clock, and that we are prepared for emergencies with the supplies needed (e.g. first aid kits placed around the building, among others).
Additionally my responsibilities include:
- Coordination of annual evacuation drills (which is coordinated by our facilities team)
- Ensure recruitment and training schedules are developed, implemented and rolled out. For example, Should members of our ERE team leave the organization, certificates expire, or if we expand and require additional recruits, an email is sent to the entire location giving everyone the opportunity to apply to either be a Fire Warden or a First Aider.
- Coordination of ERE program inquiries and recruiting requests
- Screening of interested ERE members
- Coordination of ERE team resources
- Maintenance of training records
- Attendance at ERE program meetings
- Inventory and ordering of program supplies within budget allocation
Additionally, I have taken on the responsibility of running all employee resource groups (ERG) at our location. When I began at Symantec, the Events Committee and Community Relations Committee were our two primary groups for coordinating employee participation. We then formalized these and added the Symantec Women’s Action Network (SWAN) Committee and the Symantec Black Employee Resource (SYBER) Committee.
With these employee resource groups (ERGs) in place it has helped Cape Town expand and deepen its community relations participation and efforts, build a unique local culture, drive diversity and inclusion, as well as have fun while we all work towards meeting business goals.
Furthermore, Cape Town ERGs contribute to Symantec’s global network of ERGs and play an important role in delivering on Symantec’s diversity and inclusion strategies. ERGs help build cultural awareness, provide a sense of belonging for employees, serve as ambassadors in the broader community by volunteering and advocating on issues, and foster innovation to support the growth of Symantec's business.
- How did you move into this role? Was it due to a personal passion/interest, development opportunity, project opportunity?
I began my career at Symantec as a sales representative, however, nine months ago I took on the Site Coordinator role as additional responsibility and now have a dual role. When I became the Site Coordinator, part of my responsibility was to manage the ERE team. At this time, the majority of our First Aiders and Fire Wardens certificates were about to expire and we were lacking sufficient members as our location had expanded rapidly over the years.
In October 2016, I began recruiting for the ERE team as we required additional Fire Wardens and First Aiders. To my surprise, we had an overwhelming response as to how many people actually wanted to volunteer. 50+ people volunteered and we now have 19 First Aiders and 20 Fire Wardens.
- What advice would you give to encourage employees to become involved in corporate responsibility at their company? Especially those that may not feel their knowledge/skills are relevant, or understand how corporate responsibility relates to what they do?
Whether it is celebrating Women’s Month, rewarding those that go out of their way to contribute, or simply coming together to celebrate seasonal holidays, in Cape Town we go out of our way to foster a winning, dynamic, diverse and inclusive culture. Additionally, from community volunteering to local sporting events, we strive to offer a diverse array of events providing a chance for each person to become involved.
One thing I have learned in my dual role is that taking the first step to get involved is often the hardest part. While everyone has limited time, varying interests, and different passions there is always a way to become involved. Do you work better in groups or alone? Are there opportunities in your current role or region to support corporate responsibility? Do you want to connect with colleagues from similar backgrounds or do you have a passion for giving back? If your office does not offer an opportunity that matches your interests, how can you start your own initiative?
Thank you Clarissa for all of your hard work!