This CEO is giving his staff $1500 each to fill up their esky in bushfire-affected communities

Every employee will be gifted $1,500 to spend in bushfire affected communities, following an announcement by the CEO of Canberra Data Centres.

Greg Boorer, who heads a team of roughly 90 employees at the business said in his email to staff that he wanted to “acknowledge the sacrifice, hard work and commitment to the CDC business that all CDC staff, in particular the operational and engineering teams, have demonstrated over this difficult summer period”.

Boorer also announced he would increase the spending allowance for those in the operations and engineering teams to $3000, as well as provide a paid day of leave so employees can “enjoy a long weekend to spend the funds.”

“The funds can be spent on anything you like, whether it be hotels, campgrounds, food, attractions, fuel or even filing up your empty esky,” Boorer said in an email to his staff.

“The money just needs to be spent in a bushfire affected community.” 

Boorer said he wanted to “do something to help those people and I would like to do something to thank everyone at CDC. Perhaps we can try and make the most of what is usually the best time of year instead of what we have suffered through this year?”

Boorer, who has been in the role of CEO for more than 12 years, is following the lead of several other companies who have incentivised their commitment to supporting the hundreds of thousands of Australians who have been directly impacted by the bushfires.

His announcement on Friday afternoon comes off the back of Microsoft’s announcement last week that it was granting staff three-days leave to visit and spend money in fire-affected communities. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I want you to do just one simple thing. When these fires have stopped, and the towns impacted are safe and trying to regain some sense of ‘normal’, I want you to plan a road trip. Go with empty eskies, empty cars and low fuel. Go, spend your money, stay in their hotels, buy from their shops, camp at their camp grounds, buy their gifts, buy their fuel, buy bread and milk. Beyond rebuilding, they need continued and long term support to get back on their feet and your empty esky makes more of a difference than you could ever imagine. #gowithemptyeskys Let’s get behind this with @emptyesky #emptyesky @no_mates4x4 @ytg4x4 @kbioffroad @arbwarragul @legendex @vic_chicks4x4 @idrive_australia @superior_vision_australia @4x4campingandadventures @eastgippslandadventures @cfavic @4x4_customs_capalaba @aussie4x4touring @nswrfs @blackbeartyres_australia @cant_fault_it_4x4 @tyresnowofficial @arb4x4 @weekendrunners4x4 @womenthat4x4offroad

A post shared by FORD RANGERETTES OFFICIAL ©️ (@fordrangerettesofficial) on Jan 7, 2020 at 10:07pm PST

On social media, support has been mounting with a number of campaigns encouraging people to travel to affected areas and support local businesses; including @buyfromthebush, @spendwiththem, and @EmptyEskys.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Introducing a few bush businesses and the one word that encapsulates their biz. Find out more about each one by clicking through to their pages below: @mai.designs, @littleglitzbyamanda, @jacqueline_wise_art, @sue_singingmagpieproduce, @theheustonherd, @farawaydomes. Thanks again to @gregstorermusic for our catch ditty (available for download and purchase at www.buyfromthebush.com.au).

A post shared by #buyfromthebush (@buyfromthebush) on Feb 1, 2020 at 3:41pm PST

This article was first published on Women’s Agenda.

NOW READ: Four practical ways you can help fire-affected small businesses

NOW READ: In it together: #EmptyEsky campaign unites Bright’s Alpine Sauce Co with a Geelong maternity store