Who we are
CSR
Build a Sustainable Tomorrow with TCS’ Corporate Social Responsibility
Highlights
- Over 180,000 TCS associates volunteered 6.7 million hours, through more than 250 purpose projects impacting an estimated 4.4 million lives through HOPE—Hours of Purpose by Employees—campaigns in 2023.
- The campaigns drive home how TCS Empowers, TCS’ flagship CSR brand, connects people to opportunities in the digital economy while building equitable, inclusive pathways for all – especially women, youth, and marginalized groups.
- The purpose-led projects for volunteering activities focus on education, skilling, employment, and entrepreneurship, and are aligned with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Giving back to the community
HOPE, TCS CSR’s employee-led volunteering program, is centered around the five Ps of sustainable development—People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership.
The initiative encourages TCS associates to support different causes, participate in various CSR programs, or involve customers in causes that are of their, the customer’s, choice. HOPE is designed to empower those marginalized in society and create long-lasting change.
A flag bearer of the Tata group legacy, the program uses employee skills and passion toward serving societal needs through purpose projects.
Launched in January 2023, the initiative reached 11+ PCVH (per capita volunteering hours) and impacted six primary SDGs, making TCS a leading company for volunteers and community volunteering.
Imagine restricting greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to what would be produced when driving from the Earth to the Moon every day for a month.
Or donating enough blood to save all the lives in a town. A phenomenon that became true for a town called Kapurtala in the northern Indian state of Punjab.
Both instances above were made possible through HOPE.
The many ways we serve
Uniting to serve society and bring hope.
Stories of HOPE
HOPE has produced impact at scale, even as it has changed one life at a time.
Here are a few strong anecdotal instances that have emerged through this unique TCS initiative.
Soft-skills training for underprivileged students:
“I used to be shy, now I can speak in English.” These were the words of a young learner from a government school in India, after attending FlyHigh, a soft-skills development program for students. Employees conducted classes and mentored students to speak confidently in English, which is not their native language, but, for the most part, is the primary language for all urban business communication across India. Ayush Shrivastava, a HOPE volunteer, had this to say about his experience mentoring students: “I got the opportunity to volunteer for FlyHigh. The experience not only enriched lives, but it also taught me the profound impact that small effort has in shaping another individual’s future. I encourage everyone to contribute and create positive change.”
TCS employees clean up a stream in Nagpur, India, as part of a local forest clean-up drive; their volunteering hours were counted toward the HOPE initiative
Tree plantation:
A government public services account team at TCS undertook a plantation drive in the Indian city of Varanasi to counter the problem of depleting numbers of trees. Over fifty employees planted 200 saplings around a lake in the city. According to a study by BBC Science Focus, one tree provides approximately 740 kg of oxygen in its lifetime. It is therefore the hope and belief of the volunteers that participated in the tree plantation drive that their effort will help future generation breathe cleaner air.
HOPE is a movement of the people, for the people, combining the Tata group’s ethos of community-first and TCS’ vibrant culture of service. TCS employees recognize the impact they can create through their everyday actions, as HOPE galvanizes their innate passion and sense of purpose
Recognition of HOPE’s reach
The HOPE campaign was conferred three stellar awards, listed below.
The awards were given at the Tata Sustainability Group's (TSG) volunteering conference, Tata Volcon, held on March 6, 2024 in Mumbai.
- Volunteering stalwart award for making the highest contribution to Tata group-level volunteering performance in a financial year
- Highest number of hours clocked during Tata Volunteering Week (TVW 19)
- Award for Excellence in Volunteering conferred upon a Tata company focused on institutionalizing volunteering to ensure future scalability, replicability, and sustainability.
The conference brought together senior leaders, volunteers, and the leads or “specific points of contact” of Tata Engage—the volunteering program of the Tata group. The event recognized both companies and colleagues for their efforts in evangelizing volunteering, which led to Tata Sons clocking a total of 3.67 million hours and 3.77 per capita volunteering hours (PCVH) in FY 2023.
(PCVH is a Tata group sustainability key performance indicator (KPI) derived by dividing the total volunteering hours put in by a company by the company’s total employee strength during a single financial year.)
Tata Sons has set a goal of reaching 4 PCVH by 2025.
A movement takes root
HOPE touched an estimated 4.4 million unique lives and reached a PCVH of over 11 in 2023.
Here are some “everyday” social impact activities that took place under the initiative, making it a transformational movement.
- Providing basic supplies like food, clothing, and books
- Promoting well-being through blood donation drives, health camps, and wellness initiatives
- Imparting education and mentoring to children in government schools and orphanages
- Taking climate action by planting trees, spreading seed balls, and recycling
Creating sustainable cities by cleaning beaches, parks, and public spaces.
A TCS team serves meals at a food donation drive in India's Hyderabad as part of the TCS HOPE volunteering initiative.
At TCS, we believe every individual has the power to be an agent of social change. HOPE is designed to enable contribution to projects and initiatives that foster positive change in the community and reinforce the impact of simple, everyday actions. As part of the ongoing HOPE program, volunteers can explore opportunities based on individual skill, personal interest, and location, and choose from a range of DIY, virtual, or in-person opportunities. They can also leverage TCS CSR programs such as Literacy as a Service, goIT (go Innovate Together), Ignite My Future, Youth Employment Program, and BridgeIT to ensure accelerated impact. As part of TCS CSR, business group leaders form “purpose councils” to drive awareness and build traction toward programs such as HOPE. The volunteering initiative also strengthens NGO partnerships and collaborations with Tata group companies.
For TCS, HOPE continues to be an ongoing endeavor to change many individual lives through small, “everyday” acts of community service.