Social Innovation: Building a community spirit Herman Miller style

Every now again when writing about social innovation and enterprise you discover something significant and special...I did when I stumbled upon Herman Miller, Inc., a design and technologies services firm with the mission to improve the human experience wherever people work, heal, learn, and live. Herman Miller strives to create 'a better world around you, and does this by encouraging its employees to regularly volunteer in the community, allowing them 16 hours of paid work with a charity of their choice, which has taken them to helping projects across the globe. It is the efforts of volunteers that actually make a difference to the world we live inwithout them we would see no changes.

From the U.K. to India to Japan, Herman Miller employees have helped lives through their own social innovation and awareness. In response to the Japan earthquake earlier this year, 134 employees throughout the company contributed nearly $16,000, which was matched with $15,000 from the Herman Miller Foundation. In addition, colleagues throughout Asia auctioned off crafts by designers to raise funds for victims of the earthquake. In India a group of staff went to the Ashraya Orphanage in Bangalore and were so touched by the example of a volunteer music teacher at the orphanage that several of them signed up to teach classes every weekend.

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Sangeeta Haindl is a staff writer for Justmeans on Social Enterprise. When not writing for Justmeans, she wear another hat as a PR professional. Over the years she has worked with high-profile organisations within the public, not-for-profit and corporate sectors; and won awards from her industry. She now runs her own UK consultancy, Serendipity PR & Media; She is a firm believer in the power of serendipity for business and that social media is shaping the way we live our lives and do business. She is a self-described Spiritual Entrepreneur, Conscious Explorer and Futurist.