SITUATION/PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: 
Cadbury Wedel set itself a goal of building positive relationships between employees as well as supporting attitudes of responsibility, empathy and openness. The company does it by encouraging employees to undertake socially responsible actions which could bring benefit to communities where employees live.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION/SOLUTION:
The program’s objective is to support employees willing to realise their ideas for the benefit of the local communities. The project involves possibility of financing original social project that employees put forward. Realisation of the program is directly rooted in the strategy and assumes the realisation of the company's business goal. This is why it is placed in the HR department meant to develop and motivate employees and enable them realisation of their own ideas in the company.

To date the employees received financing for such projects as: 

• Project Summer 2005, a summer camp for children from the social centre Moje Słoneczko in Wrocław; 
• English Summer Camp for children from foster homes (co-realised by the CW employee);
• Assistance in realising the summer educational camp and purchase of educational materials for hard of hearing children and teenagers Hear the World;

Cadbury Wedel also has the Magic Hours Stock Exchange  i.e. a number of activities in which the employees can get involved in order to help children from local associations, maintaining at the same time the support of the company in the form of products, transportation, organizational help etc. Some examples of the activities of magic hours so far:

• Preparing Christmas presents for the families in need from the employees’ communities;
• Renovation of the day-care centre for association Serduszko dla DzieciHeart for Children) in Warsaw;
• Polish-English Project for children organised in cooperation with volunteers from Cadbury Trebor Basett in Great Britain;
• Organising a bus trip to Polanica Zdrój and Duszniki Zdrój for children from association Moje Słoneczko in Wrocław and others;

The first year aimed at 2% active involvement of employees. After a year the end result was 3%. Employees of all departments contributed to the project. The common effort is also joined by members of the board who work voluntarily.

BENEFITS:

• Social programs give employees a lot of satisfaction, sense of identification with the company’s goals, and give them an opportunity to get to know their colleagues better, which has a good impact on their work and cooperation.
• Moderated social activity of the employees directed at getting experience at work with other people and assisting them is the source of employee’s development. It enriches their personalities and teaches them new abilities.

CHALLENGES:

• Polish mentality (attitude) and stereotypes need a lot of work in overcoming;

WORTH REMEMBERING:

• Open and regular communication;
• Involvement of the management board supports the actions – the examples comes from the top;
• Including it in the strategy – only such an approach guarantees good results.