Hong Kong
Recognizing Volunteer Engagement at The Estée Lauder Companies
Company Feature, Apr 25, 2017
As National Volunteer Week is celebrated in the United States and Canada, The Estée Lauder Companies salutes its employees who volunteer their time, talent and voice to support causes they care about. Throughout the year, the Company offers a variety of volunteer engagement opportunities for individuals and teams to have an impact. In FY16, employees clocked 51,412 volunteer hours, through 1,064 volunteer activities — which benefitted 313 non-profit organizations around the world.
“Woven into the fabric of The Estée Lauder Companies is this tradition of volunteerism,” says Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability. "As a family-founded company, giving back is built into our very DNA and we are proud to be one of those corporations leveraging our business thinking and resources as a global citizen to address the greatest needs of our local communities.”
The Company’s volunteer efforts are primarily in the areas of health, the environment and education. Cause-related activities range from brand initiatives such as M·A·C AIDS Fund, Aveda Earth Month and La Mer Blue Heart (pictured), to corporate philanthropic efforts such as BCA and Girls’ Education Initiative. Employees may choose to participate in local charitable programs through the Employee Resources Groups (ERGs), to teaming up with their co-workers for a “day of service.”
The Company also believes in recognizing and encouraging leadership through volunteerism. The Leonard A. Lauder Volunteer of the Year Awards program — that takes place every other year — honors outstanding volunteer service. And through the ELC Good Works program, employees (in the U.S.) can sign up for volunteer activities and register their philanthropic donations and volunteer hours — to be matched by company funds to eligible nonprofits of their choice. Good Works will be rolling out next to employees in the U.K., followed by additional countries.
Mrs. Estée Lauder believed that “we are only as strong as the communities we work in.” At The Estée Lauder Companies today, employees continue to foster this heritage of respect for people and the environment, and they are engaged in volunteerism throughout the year to make a difference in local communities.
Don't be afraid to fail. If you don't take risks and try, you'll never be able to reach your full potential.
Given the extraordinary impact of my own mentors, I have always looked to pay it forward. Not only do I mentor people myself, but I also make connections to match everyone in my organization that is interested. I regularly visit college campuses and frequently present about careers in STEM and use campus interview opportunities to mentor as well. It is incredibly gratifying to be able to help connect someone’s passion area to a role in STEM they never knew existed. My team and I also support high school outreach programs to introduce and encourage STEM careers.
Our industry is recognized for creativity, but when it comes to hard science, our efforts are less known. Those interested in STEM often have no knowledge of the advanced science and technology that goes on in our labs. We are working hard to change that.
I have been very fortunate throughout my career to have had a strong support system — family, close friends, mentors and sponsors — encouraging, guiding and advocating for me through many career choices and business matters. And one of the many things I enjoy about my role today is having the opportunity to nurture and develop young talent. The employee resource groups at our Company provide expanded opportunities for many leaders to contribute to the mentorship of our talent.
I seek to mentor or sponsor individuals who are proactive, smart, and truly have a passion for life-long learning. It’s important to note that mentorship is a two-way partnership, with benefits and responsibilities on both ends. I’m frequently teaching, and acting on, advice from one of my own early career mentors: Don’t be afraid to fail. If you never take risks, you may never be able to reach your full potential. Always prepare well, and self-reflect to extract valuable lessons from your mistakes but don't dwell on them – move on!
Having mentors and sponsors does not end when you reach the “C suite.” I remain grateful to my personal “board of directors” — made up of individuals from many different aspects of my life whose objective and candid guidance I treasure — to provide important grounding and insight in a variety of different areas for me. Listening and learning will always be central to how I continue to evolve, and contributing to the success of others will always be a part of what fulfills me professionally.
Read more about Tracey Travis in her Executive Leadership profile.
