CLEVELAND – In scouring social media for potential news stories, the PCT staff is always impressed to see so many pest control companies actively involved in volunteer work. It’s no surprise then that three-quarters of those who responded to PCT’s recent reader poll said their employees believe is very important (45 percent) or somewhat important (29 percent) that their company is involved in community volunteer work.
At Hoffman’s Exterminating, Mantua, N.J., owner Bill Hoffman said giving back “is not just what we do, it is who we are. It is in our core values, in our decision process, when performing interviews, promotions, or even selecting our partners.”
Hoffman acknowledged that volunteer work puts more pressure his team and leaders, “but when we think we are working too hard, or spread too thin, we walk into a non-profit of induvial that have a terrible situation, and we hike our pants, and plow forward with thanks that we can help."
Audrey Hall, president of Eco Serve Pest Services, Orchard Park, N.Y., said that as part of the interview process she and others stress the importance of Eco Serve’s impact on the communities it serves. “While candidates do deeply care about their benefits package, part of that is a need to feel part of an organization that genuinely cares,” she said. “And by genuine, I don’t mean simply writing out a check and calling it a day. That isn’t to knock those that do, but we feel it makes a much broader and long-lasting impact if there is action and team involvement in our community service.”
Similarly, Dennis Jenkins, owner of ABC Home and Commercial Services (DFW), Lewisville, Texas, says ABC works at developing a company culture “where our folks know that we care about our community and are doing our part to help those in need – in our own very special way.” ABC has a slogan that “It’s not just about what we DO – it’s also about Who we ARE” and volunteering is something very important to the “Who we are” part, Jenkins said. Volunteering is a way to get your people involved and has a great impact on your company culture, Jenkins said. “So many people in this world look at owners of businesses as ‘takers’ and we want to show that ownership, and the business itself is way more outward focused than that.”
Jenkins also reminded that volunteerism should be kept in perspective – that not all employees participate in the volunteer opportunities, as many have very busy lives with children and activities. “It is important that no-one be made to feel guilty about not participating. However, we do report each month on the volunteerism and the opportunities coming up.”
An example of volunteer effort that was successful in getting team members involved occurred in May, when the Orkin Canada Cares team spent the better part of the day getting “down and dirty,” planting more than 350 seedling trees to prevent erosion along the banks of the Pine River. The project was spearheaded by Dale Kurt, regional manager of Orkin Canada (greater Toronto) as part of an Orkin Canada Cares initiative. Kurt said this and other volunteer opportunities are a way of putting people first, which is a key component of the ethos at Orkin Canada. “We always make an active effort to promote human welfare, inside and outside of our organization. All members of the Orkin Canada family are encouraged and empowered to go that extra mile by donating their time, expertise, and goodwill to many great initiatives all over the country.”