“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
In the eternal words of Gandhi: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” We give back because it teaches us to find compassion within ourselves and to stay attached to values that are linked to the common good. One of the privileges of my role as CEO at The Clinical Professionals Group is working with a diverse and inclusive group of talented team members. A fundamental aspect to the philosophy of our business has always been the act of giving back to our industry by funding and training newly qualified graduates and then assisting them in their journey in first industry roles coupled with a passion for finding the most talented candidates for our clients. This however just didn’t seem enough. As a business we wanted to do more for the wider society and the sustainability of our planet.
In July this year we launched throughout our business an initiative that meant every time we raised an invoice for our services, we made an immediate financial contribution to The Marine Conservation Society. Every day approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans. There may now be around 5.25 tri
llion macro and micro-plastic pieces floating in the open ocean. Weighing up to 269,000 tonnes. Plastics consistently make up 60 to 90% of all marine debris. That’s hard to context isn’t it, so let me help. The oceans will contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish by 2025, and MORE plastic than fish by 2050.
When I was, many years ago a recruiter, there were few, if any initiatives to “give back”. A constant focus was achievement of targets and always on the lookout for the next fee. As I have moved through life, learned from my children and my co-workers one of the greatest gifts I have been given is a better understanding of what really counts. What we are doing is a proverbial “drop in the ocean”. If our “drop” of effort raises awareness, supports a more sustainable approach to how we choose to live and an ever growing awareness of cause and affect, I hope our way of giving back has a true positive affect.
Every time we make a donation to The Marine Conservation Society the candidate we have placed also receives a reminder from us that working with us has contributed to a more sustainable planet with a gift from The Marine Conservation Society. Alongside our work here, we continue to also raise substantial funds for our company chosen charity, Alzheimer’s Research Society. When a client or candidate chooses to work with us, we choose to always give something back.