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How Xperi Surpassed Their Goal by 100+ Volunteer Hours a Year Ahead of Schedule
In only two years, Xperi went from sporadic participation in their employee volunteer programs to over 2,500 volunteer hours logged across a global workforce. Their original goal was to reach 2,400 volunteer hours logged after three years, but, thanks to a close partnership with WeHero, Xperi not only met their goal, but surpassed it by 100 hours a year early. Here’s how.
Manual tracking process spread across the globe
For years, Xperi maintained a volunteer benefits program that struggled to gain traction. Despite offering two volunteer days annually to employees, participation remained low because there were no convenient volunteer opportunities and employees didn't record their hours in the HR system.
In 2023, Kristin Metchis, Senior Human Resource Manager at Xperi, was tasked with revamping Xperi's volunteer initiative. "We've always had a volunteer program where we offer two days a year for our employees. However, it was never really in use, meaning maybe you'd have a handful of people use it," Kristin explains.
Thanks to a renewed focus on ESG from top Xperi leadership in 2023, Kristin had a goal of achieving 2,400 volunteer hours over three years. It became clear to her that two significant problems needed to be addressed first: tracking those volunteer hours and developing an international program
The challenges
No tracking of volunteer hours
Tracking of volunteer hours wasn’t happening for Kristin and team. Employees often didn’t understand how to track their hours nor why it was important to do so.
"We asked our employees to track their hours, but that in itself was quite a feat," Kristin shares. "A lot of people say, 'Oh, I don't need to track it. My manager knows where I was.' But I always respond, "No, I need you to track it because I want to know about all the amazing things you accomplished!’” Teammates across offices struggled to understand the why behind tracking hours if their managers knew where they were. For employees, their time was accounted for, but for Kristin, she lacked visibility into the types of opportunities and the amount of time that employees were dedicating to volunteering.
The process remained manual and cumbersome, relying heavily on spreadsheets. "30 employees showed up today, and each employee put in two hours. So there's 60 hours of volunteer time. And I would just jot that on the spreadsheet," Kristin explains. "At the end of the year, I would get our payroll report of all of our hours. And then I'd have my hours where I know we at least did this."
Creating global engagement
With employees scattered across North America, APAC, and EMEA, Xperi faced the complex challenge of developing programs that would resonate with and be accessible to diverse local communities and cultures.
The logistics alone were daunting. Each region had different needs, schedules, and causes they cared about.
"We had company-led events, but it was few and far between and it wasn't in all of our regions," Kristin explains. "We really wanted to change that; we wanted it to be global so that everyone knows that volunteering matters, no matter where you are."
Finding meaningful volunteer opportunities requires a deep understanding of local communities and nonprofits —knowledge that is hard for one person, like Kristin, to develop and maintain across multiple regions. The time difference between offices made coordination challenging, and remote employees often felt left out of in-person events.
Without a partner to help coordinate efforts across offices, many employees missed out on chances to give back, and Xperi wasn't able to make the impact they knew they could in their local communities.
Strategic partnership with WeHero
In 2024, Xperi made the strategic decision to partner with WeHero to revitalize their volunteer program. Kristin originally chose WeHero for its ability to maximize impact per dollar spent, but soon learned the partnership extended well beyond that.
As Kristin explains, "What I really liked about WeHero was that we got to actually stretch the dollars... I really thought that was huge to be able to attempt to get more because then you get more bang for your buck."
WeHero supported Kristin’s CSR initiatives by providing engaging and accessible volunteer events for their global workforce, while also handling hour tracking and delivering detailed reports and insights.
Streamlined event management
WeHero transformed Xperi's volunteer program management by owning the event lifecycle. This comprehensive approach included:
- Professional planning and logistics coordination
- Day-of-event execution
- Detailed post-event reporting that automatically captured attendance and volunteer hours
- Elimination of manual tracking requirements for both employees and administrators
Kristin no longer needed to chase spreadsheets or track down employees or managers. WeHero's event coordinators and reporting automatically captured volunteer participation and hours.
After each event, Kristin received detailed impact reports showing exactly how many employees participated and hours contributed, giving her reliable data to measure progress toward their 2,400-hour goal. This systematic approach solved the tracking challenges that had previously plagued the program, providing accurate, real-time insights into Xperi employees’ volunteer impact.
Inclusive global programming
WeHero addressed the challenge of improving engagement across their international offices by supporting a multi-faceted approach to event planning:
- Creation of remote-friendly volunteer opportunities that united distributed teams
- Connection of in-person events across different geographical locations with remote opportunities
- Strategic alignment with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to drive deeper engagement
WeHero's remote-first approach meant Xperi could finally offer consistent, high-quality volunteer experiences across all time zones. Their virtual events brought together employees from different regions to work on shared projects, with all offices participating in the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef event.
WeHero coordinated this event across their global offices in North America, EMEA, and India, to ensure worldwide participation and to give all employees the chance to make an impact towards the same goal. Across these events, 147 employees contributed 220.5 hours of service, with each region participating at times that best accommodated their local schedules
"We have a good chunk of our employees that are remote. So we use WeHero for remote reasons," Kristin shares. "Obviously, we do have on-site workers that join our remote events. But it gives us a nice way to make sure we've included all of our employees."
An engineer in Bangalore shared his experience after participating in a WeHero event: "Volunteering is the simplest way to make a big impact — it's the power of one person's time to make a difference in the lives of many."
Additionally, by aligning events with ERG initiatives, like their Pride celebration activities, WeHero helped Xperi create meaningful and culturally relevant volunteer opportunities. This inclusive approach ensured that every employee, regardless of location, could participate in volunteer activities that resonated with their interests and values.
Xperi exceeded their volunteer goal by 100+ hours a year early
Xperi's renewed commitment to volunteerism has shown extraordinary results, far surpassing initial expectations. In just two years, their employees have contributed over 2,500 volunteer hours — already exceeding their three-year target of 2,400 hours.
The growth year over year has been consistent and inspiring: from 1,100 hours of service in 2023 to more than 1,400 hours in 2024.
One employee shared, “I used to think because I only had a small amount of time to volunteer that it wouldn't matter. Now I realize even those few hours can have an impact. I am glad that Xperi provides opportunities that I may not have known about to volunteer and encourages it."Xperi's volunteer program has evolved into a fundamental aspect of their corporate identity. With four successful events already completed in 2024 and six more planned for 2025, the program is set to continue to grow.
Xperi's success shows how the right partnership can improve a company’s volunteer program. By focusing on accessibility, engagement, and efficient management, they've created a program that truly reflects their commitment to community impact.
Connect with our team to learn how you can get started with Wehero today.
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