CSR on humanitarian grounds stands for the principle that companies need to invest in relevant causes in order to interact and operate with concerned parties having a stake in the company’s work. Interglobe Hotels is dedicated to its three CSR Initiatives to make a difference to the community at large.
Before independence in 1947, CSR existed in the form of charity that was individualistic to businessmen and philanthropists who carried out these activities out of religious sentiments.Post-Independence, the Gandhian philosophy of trusteeship gained momentum. It advocated the role of PSUs as important instruments for fulfilling the development agenda. 1991 was the era that saw the entry of global players which enhanced competition in the market. The global standards of CSR motivated the local organisations to proactively respond to the needs of the society to establish and enhance their brand value and meet consumer satisfaction.
Interglobe Hotels Employee Participation Programme
The objective of Interglobe Hotels is to integrate the CSR effort and spend of the group companies to maximise the combined societal impact and employee engagement. Under the i-serve programme of the company, employees are encouraged to connect with causes of social concern by volunteering their time, skills and expertise. It has become an integral part of the organisation and has seen a leap in volunteerism in the last two years from an average of 0.5 to two i-serve days per employee per year.
Through this practice, the employee feels proud to have found a common platform to go beyond their regular call of duty. CSR volunteering is a part of the KRA of the employees, and the projects are aligned to their personal choices.
The company envisages building pride in the communities through providing sustainable livelihoods, by conserving the environment and by bridging learning programmes for the underprivileged. Interglobe also promotes stalls/ handmade products by disadvantaged & specially-abled individuals at IGH & its Ibis hotel properties.
“In hotel construction, our primary focus is on efficiency and sustainability. Our sustainability journey starts from the planning stage itself where all our projects aim for Indian Green Building Council Gold Certification. Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance and renovation. Our continuous innovative efforts shrank our costs by almost 30 per cent despite inflation,’’ says’’ Shwetank Singh, Vice President – Development & Asset Management, InterGlobe Hotels.
Environment
One of the core objectives of the company is to contribute towards environment conservation in line with the Swatch Bharat Mission. “Our Interventions in Motilal Nehru & Coolie Camps, Vasant Vihar in association with our NGO partner Feedback Foundation has led to observable, measurable and sustainable improvements in the overall quality of life of these communities. These have been through attaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and management of solid waste on the principles of ‘No Open Waste,“says Singh.
Empowerment
With the vision of creating a literate and empowered India, IGH along with their NGO partner Sshrishti have created a learning centre – Sshrishti Umeed in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. It had been conceptualised to create a safe and enriching space for learning and empowerment for adolescent girls and women of J.J Bandhu camp.
Employability
With the prime focus of making the youth of India more employable and upgrading their basic skill set in the areas of Hospitality (Culinary and Housekeeping) and Retail services, Accor Center of HOPE, Mahipalpur in association with their NGO partner HOPE Foundation, carried out classroom sessions and on-job training in Aerocity hotels for 63 people in 2018-19.
“Once the hotel becomes operational, Planet 21 Mantra of Accor is followed to ensure that all seven pillars of health, nature, carbon, innovation, local development, employment and dialogue are adhered.” – Shwetank Singh, InterGlobe Hotels
The company works on time-bound projects after identifying the areas/slums for development and design the program to yield a substantial improvement impact. After measuring the impact and outcome of the project when it becomes self-sustainable, the project is handed over to the community members to run it under the extended guidance of IGH. Apart from the long-term projects, it focuses on Adhoc volunteering visits to old age home, donations at orphanages, working for specially-abled in other parts of Delhi NCR and other states in India.
This article was first published in the print version of SUBURB August 2019 issue.
