Mahindra Group’s flagship volunteering programme – Employee Social Options – turns 20 this year, here is a look at the evolution of the platform.

Reinterpreting ESOPs with a twist, Mahindra Group in 2005 introduced Esops or Employee Social Options to encourage employees to volunteer their time and service for social and developmental programmes.

Launched on the 60th Founder Day anniversary Esops is aimed at instilling a sense of ownership towards various causes that plays out in different ways across the organization and communities we serve in.

It was a moment of reflection, recollection and reaffirmation that the group’s growth, expansion and march ahead lay largely with the people who were behind Mahindra – the employees at every level at every position and in every location. With it was a need to implement a more active and widespread Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

With Chairman Emeritus Mr. Keshub Mahindra taking on the mantle as the CSR spokesperson back then, the Mahindra Group management board undertook a pledge to commit 1 % PAT toward focused social and community development issues every year. Although this has changed over the years, the commitment and allegiance remain the same – the desire to drive positive change.

During the last 20 years, Esops volunteers have reached out to communities across the country and positively impacted lives as well as the environment. Since 2005, Mahindra Employees have contributed more than 5.39 million hours of their time and skills to society. Apart from instilling in Mahindra employees a sense of purpose at the workplace, it has resulted in considerable social impact in the areas of health, education, and environment. The Esops activities span the entire length and breadth of the country.

Driven by the central CSR team guiding the various Mahindra companies, the Esops programme runs a tight schedule with a choco-a-block calendar of events.

• Children Day 
  This day is observed across India to raise awareness about children's rights and the importance of providing them with a safe, nurturing environment for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The Esops team from Mahindra Offices organizes a visit to the Government. Schools & conduct various indoor/outdoor activities. 
  Impact: Nearly 20,000 students have been reached in the last four years.
   
• Swachh Bharat 
  On the heels of the Hon. Prime Minister’s clarion call launching Swachh Bharat in 2014, the Mahindra Group too pledged its support to the movement through both CSR initiatives and employee participation via volunteering. The employees volunteer wholeheartedly every year in cleanliness drives, which include public areas such as bus stops, railway stations, hospitals, schools, beaches, etc. The volunteers also take sessions on Behavior Change Communication (BCC) in schools and communities adjacent to the office locations.
   
• Mahindra Volunteering Day (MVD)
  Observed on December 5, Mahindra Volunteering Day is a day where we come together to contribute to meaningful causes and thereby bring our core purpose of Rise to life. Blood donation is one of the actively participated volunteering activities during Mahindra Volunteering Day.
  Impact: Since the inception of MVD in 2022, 14763 units of blood have been collected and supplied to hospitals.
   
• Road Safety Week/Water Day
  Celebrated in January every year, the activities include Sensitization Sessions for drivers on various aspects of Road Safety, free Eye Check-up Camps, Awareness Drives among the public & drivers, etc., to raise awareness about road safety. 
  Impact: Our employees have reached out to over 25000 people in the last four years.

Esops Awards: Celebrating our good Samaritans
To reward, recognise, and promote a healthy competition among locations, the Esops Awards were instituted in 2008 to identify the best projects in Factory and Non-Factory Location categories. Similarly, the Esops Star Performer Awards were instituted in 2011 to recognise and motivate both the high-performing locations and individuals in Factory and Non-Factory Location categories.