Written by: Laura Smith, Marketing Assistant/Communications Editor with Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling, a Platinum level awardee.

Community has become increasingly important over the last few years, with businesses and neighbors reaching out and leaning on each other in their times of need. People have come together in some of the most amazing ways, and they continue to do so every day.

Some people choose to be involved in their community on their own, and others do it with team members from their place of employment. Many businesses are looking for ways to give back to their communities, and they turn to their team and other business owners in their network for ideas. Why not support charities that are close to your team members’ hearts? These philanthropic events can also be used as team building opportunities. For businesses who cherish giving back to the community, they could allow their team members to leave the office to be more active in their community service. Those businesses can also choose to let their team stay clocked in while they’re helping their community. This shows that the person, and the business, is eager and willing to help their fellow neighbors.

If allowing them to stay clocked in isn’t possible or preferred, business owners could also provide VTO (volunteering time off) to team members, in addition to PTO. This would allow the team to take a day away from the office to help their community and still receive compensation.

Encouraging the team to be more involved in their community is a wonderful thing, as it will inspire them to give back and they will be proud to do it, whether it’s for themselves or their company. They will be providing support to the people in their neighborhoods, and those people will in turn help support the company.

Some ideas of community involvement could be items such as volunteering at food pantries, picking up trash at local parks, helping at a local animal shelter, offering their services to their favorite or preferred nonprofits, or even coaching their children’s sports team.

When the team members of a business can take time to be involved in their community and give back, the community then gives back to that person or business. The neighbors will see the impact one person, or a company has in their area. They will want to support that person or the business they represent. Seeing someone else inject more positivity into the community will spark someone else to give back as well.

Not only does giving back to the community help the people and their neighborhoods, but it can also help provide new skills for that person that they might not have received anywhere else. It can give them some direction in their life on what they want to be doing or supporting and can be something they propose to their place of employment as a worthwhile cause.

Allowing a team or an individual team member the opportunity to be more involved in their community is something you can’t put a value on. When they are granted the chance to take time away from their work to focus on giving back, the business and community receive so much more in return. The team member returns with a pep in their step, the company has a team member who’s ready to return to the daily grind with renewed vigor, and the community will then stand behind that person and their company.

Laura Smith
Marketing Assistant/Communications Editor
Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling

A native of southern Ohio, Laura Smith moved to Albuquerque as a child with her family. She’s the youngest of three children and the only daughter. During her adolescence, she developed a love of writing and pursued any opportunity to showcase that passion.

Upon entering college at the University of New Mexico, she knew she wanted to earn her bachelor’s degree in an area that would allow her to continue writing. While attending the University of New Mexico, she decided to work towards her bachelor’s degree with a double major in Print Journalism and German, which she received in 2008.

Following college graduation, she was accepted into a Journalism internship on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. where she interviewed senators, congressmen, and a former Cabinet member for the Obama administration. She returned to New Mexico, eager to expand on the skills that she acquired during her time on the Hill.

After joining Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling, she quickly learned she was working for the right company and with the right people. Her writing skills were discovered immediately by her fellow team members and those skills have helped her capture the company’s message and to share it with the community.

Laura has been published in multiple publications in the Albuquerque metro area and currently writes weekly blogs for Albuquerque Plumbing that feature topics varying anything from home service tips to family friendly activities.

When she’s not working from home or the office, Laura enjoys spending her time with her 5-year-old son, family and friends, watching movies, experimenting with new recipes and reading.