Giving Tuesday & the power of our people

Community involvement has never been more important than this year.  As the world continues to handle the pandemic, there has been a silver lining – an outpouring of genuine compassion to help others. As we’ve settled into this unusual time, it has presented an opportunity to revisit age-old sayings such as love thy neighbor and sharing is caring.

Giving Tuesday (observed on December 1 this year) is a global generosity movement that encourages people to give back to their communities with the gift of their time or monetary donations. This year, our team has made an impact on their communities through volunteer events organized by our Global Volunteer Networks, Green Teams, and programs like Community Champion Grants and Hour Power. In addition, 55 employees were recognized through the Impact All-Stars program as they went above and beyond their day jobs to get involved with community impact and innovation programs!

We want to encourage you to get involved this year by sharing some #BeYouAtTR impact stories! Here’s how our employees created a positive social impact on our teams and in their communities throughout 2020:

Making personal protective equipment for frontline workers

"I've printed over 100 face shields for healthcare professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak in Costa Rica. I wanted to help and make a positive impact in my community while I'm working from home. Since I own a 3D printer for my personal hobbies, I have started printing face shields. I believe it's things like this that give people hope.

Now, at our Thomson Reuters office in Costa Rica, we have a campaign with our employees to raise money to buy filament so I can continue printing protective equipment and support our front line workers."

Roger, Manager, Order Management #WorkingAtTR

Finding new ways to show appreciation to frontline workers

"I'm amazed at the response from our volunteers to support our community and our customers during #COVID19. Our Global Volunteer Network in Manila launched a Snack Brigade to deliver snacks to 105 frontline workers for #GivingTuesdayNow. The food donations came with personal messages to express gratitude for the hard work and effort for our Philippines Red Cross frontline workers. Our volunteers really went above and beyond with supporting our community." #BeYouAtTR

Emmanuele, Global Volunteer Network Lead, Asia Pacific, Manila #WorkingatTR

Supporting the mindfulness and wellbeing of our teammates

"I am a strong believer in mindfulness. It's an empowering tool for mental and emotional wellness. I meditate daily, sometimes with my seven-year-old niece, and it's incredible to see how even at her age, she can experience such calmness.

Knowing how impactful mindfulness can be, I began a Mindfulness Circle initiative for our team throughout #COVID19 to help increase focus, reduce stress, and feel positive. I run virtual guided meditations followed by gratitude moments where we share what aspects of life we're most grateful for. I begin my week feeling complete, which helps me bring my whole self to work." #BeYouAtTR

Sanjana, Learning Manager Global Content, Hyderabad #WorkingAtTR

Thank you to all our employees who have gone above and beyond in 2020! There is still time to get involved in 2020, and don’t forget to share your volunteer impact initiatives with us using #WorkingAtTR!

Want to learn more about our Social Impact? Read more on our volunteer efforts in the blog Tapping into the power of community when our neighbors need it most or read our 2019 Social Impact Report.