Fundraiser to encourage office attendance and support local charities
Cloud giant Salesforce has unveiled a new initiative to incentivize its employees to return to the office. In a bid to strengthen connections and support local charities, the company will donate $10 to a charity for each day an employee shows up to the office between June 12 and 23. The program, dubbed “Connect for Good,” extends to remote employees as well, who can contribute by participating in a virtual event. Following the two-week period, Salesforce will calculate the total attendance and multiply it by $10, with employees given the opportunity to vote for the charities to receive the donations.
According to Fortune, internal documents and a senior executive’s announcement on the Salesforce Slack channel confirmed the details. The company aims to raise over $1 million through this fundraiser and contribute a maximum of $2.5 million to charity. A Salesforce representative expressed pride in the introduction of Connect for Good, stating that giving back is an integral part of the company’s values.
Salesforce’s decision to launch this fundraiser aligns with the trend of employers worldwide encouraging their staff to return to physical offices after an extended period of remote work. The company has implemented a return-to-office plan that specifies varying frequencies of in-person attendance based on employees’ roles. Customer-facing staff are required to be present four days a week, while product and engineering teams are in the office for 10 days per quarter. Additionally, there are office-flexible teams that work in-person three days a week. Remote staff at Salesforce do not have assigned offices, and their working arrangements are subject to agreement between the employee and their manager.
Brent Hyder, Salesforce’s president and chief people officer, emphasized the trust placed in leaders to make informed decisions about the office or remote work requirements for their teams. In early 2023, Salesforce underwent a restructuring plan that led to a reduction of over 7,000 employees, amounting to 10% of its global workforce, from the previous total of 79,000 employees at the end of 2022.
