STANLEY^® Engineered Fastening Global Week of Service 2018

The second-annual STANLEY^® Engineered Fastening Global Week of Service dramatically surpassed the inaugural event in employee participation, organizations served, communities reached, and overall impact.

Victoria Bowles, Communications Specialist for STANLEY^® Engineered Fastening, a division of Stanley Black & Decker and lead Global Week of Service organizer, notes that participation increased by 23% overall and activities by 20% — no matter the logistical challenge of pulling off such an ambitious event. “Engaging people remotely is difficult,” she said. “We really wanted to get people involved in their local communities, to do something that’s meaningful to them. While the metrics are truly impressive, the impact goes beyond the numbers. Looking at what we’ve achieved, and the feedback we received, we feel very positive about the results.”

“People want to feel like they’re valued at their jobs, and that the company they work for values them and the community they’re in. This [Global Week of Service] does something great for the communities in which we operate, while also being a terrific employee engagement opportunity, and a team-building opportunity at the same time,” Bowles said.

Sheela Jayakumar, Supply Chain Coordinator in the Engineered Fastening division’s Chennai, India operation, agrees with Bowles’ assessment regarding team-building. Her team visited an orphanage. “We chose this project because orphans rarely get a chance to [be] happy, and we spent a half day with them cheering them up, distributing sweets, and serving lunch. We had great fun with them, and together.” 

Other employees say they developed a sense of personal growth during the event. “I felt empowered to be able to help those not so fortunate, no matter how minuscule the effort was,” said Kok Peng Tan, an ERP Project Director in Singapore, who delivered food to the less privileged.

Being here for 20 years and seeing the immediate and positive response to our efforts — it was heartwarming and overwhelming. It opened up a lot of eyes.—Jo Ann Wisner SmithPayroll and HR Specialist
STANLEY^® Engineered Fastening

Meanwhile, in the US, employees worked to support causes as diverse as helping dogs get adopted, assisting the families of victims of violent crimes, collecting supplies for the homeless, assembling bikes for families in need, reading books to children, and separating food including sorting 1,900 pounds of sweet potatoes into two-pound bags for distribution to underprivileged families.

I felt empowered to be able to help those not so fortunate.—Kok Peng TanDirector, ERP Project, Asia
STANLEY^® Engineered Fastening

As part of her first Global Week of Service, Jill Schram, of the recently acquired Nelson^® Fastener Systems group in Elyria, Ohio, helped purchase and assemble backpacks containing non-perishable food items, t-shirts, socks, gloves, and toiletries that were donated to the Salvation Army for distribution to the local homeless population and containing shirts, slippers, and toiletries that were then distributed to a local women’s shelter. “I was so happy to do this; I feel like this is something we’ve needed to do as a company for a long time,” added Jo Ann Wisner Smith, Payroll and HR Specialist. “For me, being here for 20 years and seeing the immediate and positive response to our efforts, it was heartwarming and overwhelming. It opened up a lot of eyes.”

Just as the Nelson^® employees, among the newest members of the STANLEY^® Engineered Fastening family, were enthusiastic participants, the Global Week of Service events gained ardent participation from employees throughout the corporate ranks, from those at the highest supervisory levels as well from manufacturing floors across the world. Additionally, participation levels increased exponentially throughout the company: In Europe, for example, our German team almost doubled the number of participants from 2017. The German team completed a number of projects, among them collecting, sorting, and distributing food to people in need through Tafel Gießen, a local hunger charity.

“They learned a lot, overcame unconscious biases, brought people joy, and spent time together that they’ll never forget,” says Kathrin Rohde, Executive Assistant in Linden, Germany. Her colleague, Steffi Wieser, HR Director in Giessen, Germany, agrees. “It was a great experience for all of our participants.”

All considered, the 2018 Global Week of Service was an overwhelming success. And even now, teams all over the world are eagerly planning and looking forward to again living their company’s purpose, For Those Who Make The World, during the 2019 Global Week of Service.