Alcoa sets new employee volunteerism benchmark

On the eve of International Volunteers Day, Alcoa announced employee volunteerism rates significantly higher than the average for all corporations, with 49 percent of the company's global workforce giving back to their communities around the world. The record volunteerism rate was reached during the company's fifth annual Month of Service in October, during which more than 29,000 Alcoa employees across 24 countries volunteered for nearly 1,000 events.

"Alcoa's Month of Service allows us to live up to our values by giving back through volunteerism to achieve lasting and positive change at Alcoa Warrick Operations and in Alcoa communities across the world," said Ed Hemmersbach, Location Manager for the Rigid Packaging Division at Warrick Operations.

At Alcoa Warrick Operations, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in this community, more than 330 volunteer positions were filled. This represented more than 1,500 hours of volunteer service to area organizations at 18 different events during the month of October.

The corporation's 49 percent employee volunteer participation is significantly higher than the corporate average for volunteerism, based on data collected by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. From 2008 to 2010, the Center recorded average participation rates in employer-supported volunteering of between 17 and 31 percent. In 2009, 37 percent of employees participated in Alcoa Month of Service activities.