Hypertherm, a U.S.-based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, today announced an expansion of its Community Service Time (CST) program for 2022. As of next month, the company’s CST program will increase from 32 to 40 hours, providing Associates with an additional eight hours of paid time off each year to volunteer in their community. Hypertherm envisions the expanded hours will help its Associates dedicate more time to volunteer roles that require a regular time commitment such as coaching, mentoring, and helping senior citizens live independently.
“We are excited to offer this expanded benefit to Hypertherm Associates, many of whom already serve in excess of 32 hours a year,” said Jenny Levy, Hypertherm’s vice president of people, community, and the environment. “After expanding our program from 24 to 32 hours in 2017, we saw an increase in the depth of Associate volunteering. Our Associates were able to better serve nonprofits by making long-term commitments that helped further specific goals. We expect the addition of eight more hours per Associate will help us expand upon that work.”
Launched in 2003, Hypertherm’s CST program has grown from an initial 16 hours per Associate. The company has found the program benefits both the community and its Associates who return to work more energized and engaged with a strong sense of purpose. Nearly 70 percent of Hypertherm’s global Associate population volunteered last year despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, serving a combined total of 20,222 hours. The participant rate in 2019, a more typical year, was even higher with an 85 percent participation rate and 27,898 hours served. In total, Hypertherm estimates its Associates have volunteered 244,000 hours since the program’s inception.
What sets Hypertherm’s CST program apart from other paid volunteer programs is the opportunity for personal choice. Every Associate gets to choose how and where to use their CST. For example, Associates can stock shelves at the food pantry, construct or repair a home for a low-income family, build a trail, coach a sports team, read with children, support STEM robotics, or serve on a town or nonprofit board of directors.
Hypertherm’s Community Service Time program is one part of its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. In addition to volunteer time, the company has awarded millions of dollars in grants through its HOPE Foundation and has ambitious goals designed to lessen the company’s environmental impact. Learn more at https://www.hypertherm.com/CSR.
Hypertherm engineers and manufactures industrial cutting products used by companies around the world to build ships, airplanes, and railcars, construct steel buildings, manufacture heavy equipment, and more. Its products include cutting systems, CNCs, and software trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. Founded in 1968 and based in New Hampshire, Hypertherm is a 100 percent Associate owned company, employing more than 1,800 Associates, with operations and partner representation worldwide.
This content was originally published on the Hypertherm website.