A Multi-Part Series from Productivity Advocates
At Productivity Advocates, we believe that real productivity emerges when Leadership, Culture, Analytics, Engagement, and Trust combine to empower people and sustain results. This multi-part series explores five companies that transformed their work approach by focusing on one of these key pillars.
Our purpose is to share practical stories that inspire leaders and teams to rethink old habits and unlock new levels of resilience and productivity.
Background
Salesforce has built a global reputation for more than just customer relationship management (CRM) software; it’s known for pioneering a values-driven culture that deeply invests in people. At the core of this approach lies its emphasis on employee engagement, which is not treated as an HR metric but as a business strategy. According to Salesforce, “When employees are empowered, connected, and valued, they build trust with customers, each other, and the community.”
Problem
Despite being a high-growth company with a powerful brand, Salesforce still faced a key challenge: How do you keep employees meaningfully engaged when you scale past 50,000 employees across dozens of countries? As hybrid work became the new normal and social expectations evolved, Salesforce recognized that perks weren’t enough; employees were looking for purpose, connection, and trust.
Actions Taken
Salesforce responded with a comprehensive approach to engagement:
- Volunteer Time Of (VTO): Every employee receives 56 hours of paid volunteer time per year. This initiative goes beyond CSR; it gives employees the freedom to lead change in ways that matter to them.
- Ohana Culture: Rooted in the Hawaiian word for “family.” Salesforce’s Ohana culture emphasizes inclusivity, psychological safety, and mutual care among all stakeholders (employees, customers, partners, and communities).
- Employee Activism Encouraged: The company openly supports employees who advocate for social causes. One notable example was a team of Salesforce employees who organized disaster response volunteering efforts after the Maui wildfires.
- Work.com & Feedback Channels: Salesforce invested in platforms like Work.com to help managers and HR track engagement, give feedback, and support wellbeing in real time.
- Global Giving Reports & Recognition: Engagement is recognized not just in-house but also celebrated publicly. Reports like the Salesforce Fall 2022 Giving Report document impact metrics that validate employee contributions.
A Deep Dive into the Productivity Advocates’ Pillars
Engagement: Giving Employees Voice and Purpose
Salesforce’s model centers engagement on trust and choice:
- Every employee receives 56 hours/year of paid Volunteer Time Off to support causes they care about, reflecting Salesforce’s belief in ethical service (Lee, 2022).
- About 75% of the global workforce participates annually, with 25% using the full allotment, demonstrating both high uptake and meaningful impact (Lee, 2022).
- Multiple Salesforce-led philanthropic efforts, such as a grassroots campaign responding to the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes, raised over $1 million via employee-driven fundraising, reinforcing trust and emotional connection (People, 2024).
Culture & Leadership: Ohana and Empowerment
Benioff’s leadership modeled inclusive values and invited employees into decision-making. Salesforce’s Ohana culture promotes belonging, shared purpose, and mutual accountability. This leadership approach encouraged genuine employee involvement in culture-building rather than top-down directives (Salesforce Staff, 2024).
Trust: Transparency and Autonomy
Salesforce trusts employees to choose their volunteer causes and organize events, underpinned by clear communication and purpose-aligned policies. This autonomy deepens trust, not just with leadership, but among peers and the broader community (Lee, 2022).
Analytics: Measuring Engagement Impact
Though Salesforce emphasizes values, it also uses data to evaluate engagement. Survey results and internal metrics show consistently high morale, retention, and innovation stemming from engagement programs. For example, WEF’s case study found engagement rose 40% around corporate ethics and community involvement post-pandemic (Salesforce WEF, 2022).
Culture-Building Through Recognition
Programs like peer-to-peer recognition (Trailblazer awards) reinforce appreciation and community belonging, helping employees feel seen and supported (PerformYard, 2024).
Outcomes & Evidence
- Reduced Turnover: Focused engagement efforts helped lower turnover in a competitive talent market while boosting retention and purpose alignment (FrontPorchAgility, 2024).
- Innovation Surge: Salesforce employees contributed over 300,000 volunteer hours in a single quarter through the VTO program, generating community impact and internal innovations like new volunteer platforms, deepening engagement, and reinforcing its recognition as a top workplace (Ferguson, 2022).
- High Employee Willingness: Internal PULSE survey shows ~ 94% of employees say they’re willing to go the extra mile, evidence of deep engagement and alignment (Salesforce Inside, 2022).
Why This Matters
Salesforce proves that engagement is not a feel-good perk; it’s a strategic driver of business performance. When employees are empowered through purpose-driven programs, trusted autonomy, and embedded voice, they become advocates, innovators, and retention magnets.
By integrating engagement into leadership, culture, trust, and analytics, Salesforce transformed engagement from a soft value into a core strategy. This model shows that meaningful engagement fuels productivity, loyalty, and positive impact engines all at once.
References
Salesforce. (n.d.). Building resilience through community and culture. Salesforce News. https://www.salesforce.com/blog/salesforce-and-hawaii/
Salesforce. (n.d.). Volunteer Time Off (VTO): The power of giving back. Salesforce APAC Blog. https://www.salesforce.com/ap/blog/volunteer-time-off/
VanHoose, N. (2024, July 15). People’s 100 companies that care in 2024: Employers putting their communities first. People. https://people.com/people-s-100-companies-that-care-in-2024-employers-putting-their-communities-first-8695962
Salesforce. (2023, January 17). Salesforce employee activism at the World Economic Forum. Salesforce News. https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-employee-activism-wef/
PerformYard. (n.d.). Employee engagement strategies: 10 proven ideas to drive commitment. https://www.performyard.com/articles/employee-engagement-strategies
Salesforce. (2022, November 30). Fall 2022 Giving Report: Building resilience across our communities. Salesforce News. https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-fall-2022-giving-report-building-resilience-across-our-communities/
Salesforce. (2023, May 1). How Salesforce builds meaningful employee experiences. Salesforce News. https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/how-salesforce-builds-meaningful-employee-experiences/
Image Credits
Besler. (n.d.). The five pillars of executive presence. Besler. https://www.besler.com/five-pillars-executive-presence/
Quarkly. (n.d.). Review of Salesforce CRM: a highly customizable and powerful CRM [Image]. Quarkly.io. https://quarkly.io/blog/review-of-salesforce-crm-a-highly-customizable-and-powerful-crm
Freepik. (2024). Ohana means family [Vector graphic]. Freepik. https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/ohana-means-family-svg_40626174.htm
GoodBharat. (2025, April 16). Leveraging AI in product development: India’s innovation surge [Image]. GoodBharat. https://goodbharat.com/leveraging-ai-in-product-development-indias-innovation-surge/