“Volunteer work is as individual as each person in Salesforce”

At Salesforce, every employee is given 6 paid days a year to volunteer, and they are empowered to spend this time supporting causes they feel passionate about. Our Foundation Programs Team organizes a wide variety of volunteering activities for our employees to choose from, but oftentimes, its the activities that our employees seek out themselves, that are the most interesting.

Amy Harbin has been working at Salesforce for 7 years and is truly committed to giving back to the local community using her Volunteering Time Off (VTO), and also a huge amount of her own free time. She admits that the Foundation was one of the main reasons she decided to join Salesforce in the first place.

This year, Amy decided to do engage in a volunteering activity that was close to her heart – becoming a socialiser for a hearing dog. Socialisers give hearing dog puppies basic obedience and house training, as well as introducing them to everyday situations such as going into shops and travelling on public transport.

“5 years ago I attended an information session on volunteering as a puppy socialiser and was really interested. I was looking for something different to do with my volunteering time off this year,” says Amy.

Fizz, the dog Amy is working with, has come to live with her for 12 months. Over the year, she’ll bring him through the required training and then help him transition to living at the hearing dog centre.

Encouraged by her work with Fizz, Amy is also completing a Canine Behaviour Training Diploma in her spare time.

Amy has already logged 233 volunteering hours this year. While she logs an hour when training Fizz, the rest of her volunteering time is used doing things like helping at dog shows, giving talks about her experience as a socialiser, and getting involved in team volunteering activities with her Salesforce colleagues.

“Volunteer work is as individual as each person in Salesforce – you need to go and find the area that works for you. The Foundation will always help you find something that suits your personality. There’s volunteer work out there for everyone – just ask.”