(WAUSAU) Peoples State Bank employees spent 5,675 hours volunteering in their communities in 2020, a reflection of the bank’s emphasis on giving back to the communities it serves. That’s more than 30 hours per employee during the year.
“This is a remarkable accomplishment considering the pandemic’s impact on events from March through the end of the year,” said Tina Seidl, Peoples director of human resources. “COVID-19 impacted the number of non-profit fundraisers, school and spiritual events, athletic games, and civic and professional group functions. So, for employees to find ways to give back shows a true commitment to helping others in need.”
Peoples offered each employee 20 hours of paid volunteer time off (VTO) in 2020 and will offer it again in 2021. VTO allows employees an opportunity to help in their community during the workday, when some agencies and non-profits really need the help.
“I’m encouraged by the strength and resilience of our staff to help organizations in their communities,” said Scott Cattanach, Peoples president and CEO. “As a community bank, it’s important for us to help our communities and customers in any way we can, and 2020 proved to be a year our employees stepped up with their time and talent to help many groups and non-profits.”
Among the volunteer hours, employees spent more than 1,345 hours working at non-profit organizations, and more than 1,600 hours in health or medical organizations. School-related activities took more than 380 hours of employee volunteer time, with more than 300 hours
related to sporting events and teams. The remainder of hours were split among civic groups, religious, professional affiliations, and other community outreach efforts.
