Mobilising for a better world

ServiceNow and its employees are committed to accelerating positive change in the communities where we work and live. It’s part of fulfilling our purpose to make the world work better for everyone.

Each October is our Month of Service, giving our people a chance to contribute to a more sustainable, equitable, and ethical society. Our theme this year was ‘Access to a better world’.

Let’s look at some of the ways ServiceNow employees in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) improved access to resources needed to thrive.

Distributing meals to those in need

According to Henley & Partners, London is one of the richest cities in the world. Despite this, London Councils estimates that one in 50 people in the UK capital are homeless.

ServiceNow employees are stepping up to fight hunger in London. Amandeep H., data centre analyst, volunteers with NishkamSWAT, an outreach service that distributes hot meals to homeless people in London.

NishkamSWAT’s mission is based on the centuries-old concept of langar, the Sikh practice of providing free meals to all, regardless of their background.

Once a week, Amandeep helps the NishkamSWAT team hand out around 250 meals. “What keeps me going back is the respect that we get from the service users,” he says. “We provide consistency in their lives. We are there every Wednesday at the same time, offering the same food, the same snacks. It's something that they can rely on.”

He even got ServiceNow involved by organising quarterly drives to pack care packages of toiletries and other essentials for distribution around London. The project has been a big success.

Sally H., vice president of customer success EMEA, partnered with Serve the City to support Leger Des Heils—the Dutch arm of the Salvation Army—helping homeless and vulnerable communities in Amsterdam.

In October, 40 volunteers from the ServiceNow customer success organisation packaged nearly 300 bags of nonperishable food. They also wrote handwritten letters to be distributed by Leger Des Heils.

Providing a listening ear to the lonely

Society lets people reach loved ones at the click of a button. Yet more than one in five report feeling lonely a lot of the time, according to Gallup. Harvard Medical School reports half of all people will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

For some, this reaches a critical point. In France, SOS Crise (‘Crisis’) offers free and confidential support to people in crisis who feel they have nowhere else to go.

Maria W., director of sales enablement at ServiceNow, volunteers with SOS Crise alongside retired doctors, nurses, social workers, and educators. They offer comfort, advice, and guidance to callers through a professional listening service.

For two hours each week, Maria answers calls and, drawing on her training experience at ServiceNow, teaches volunteers how to use the digital platform. For example, she shows them how to set up calls and generate reports.

Maria wants to bring in more volunteers to help more people who are lonely or struggling with stress, anxiety, or abuse. In her eyes, it’s important to be fulfilled in your work, but also to give back so that those experiencing hardships feel supported.

“These people have no one,” Maria says. “They don't know what to do. But they can go on the web and say, ‘I need some help,’ or, ‘I want a free phone number to call. I want to speak to a psychologist,’ and call us at SOS Crise.”

Supporting families affected by disability

According to UNICEF, “nearly 240 million children in the world today have some form of disability.”

Nadia B., sales director for commercial business at ServiceNow, is a mother who’s passionate about helping children and their families in need. She and her team volunteer with Hope & Wonder, an organisation that runs a home and outreach programme for children with disabilities in Tanzania.

The ServiceNow team uses their connections at the company to find people willing to contribute their time, money, and noise to the cause. The group also raises funds for special food, wheelchairs, and walking aids—and they’ve gone on a site visit to support renovations to the home.

Nadia believes who you know through your work is a great strength and that more people are willing to help than you might realise. She feels honoured that ServiceNow motivates its staff to contribute to projects that give back and make the world better for everyone.

“Working for ServiceNow means you have a very strong network of relations to C-levels, to procurement, to all kinds of people willing to support with their time or money,” Nadia says. “With a headcount of nine on my team, we generate a lot of power and noise. Whenever we find a project or someone in need, we get together and try to find solutions and ways to connect with anyone else who could collaborate and support our impact.”

Protecting the planet

Plastic pollution is one of the largest threats to our planet. According to WWF, 86 to 150 million tonnes of plastic have accumulated in the world’s oceans. The amount could quadruple by 2050, destroying ecosystems, harming wildlife, and creating health issues for local communities.

Several ServiceNow employees volunteer for Plastic Whale, an environmental charity that arranges plastic fishing sessions in and around Amsterdam.

During a plastic fishing trip, volunteers use nets to collect plastic, glass, and other rubbish from Amsterdam’s iconic waterways. The materials are recycled into “circular furniture” and boats that can be used for future plastic fishing trips.

In addition to going on plastic fishing trips with their colleagues, Tarnie C., support account manager, Mauro T. Senior software engineer and Flavia S., customer success manager, coordinate other events to give back to the Amsterdam community. They recently arranged a food packing session for the homeless, lunch preparation at a residential home, and a home transformation project for a family in need.

These are only a few examples that demonstrate ServiceNow employees’ commitment to helping all people gain access to a better world.

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