For anyone stuck in a continuous loop of emails and spreadsheets, the idea of stepping away from the desk to spend a workday painting railings at a zoo sounds like a dream. For one Indian expat living in the UK, that dream became a reality—and it completely changed his perspective on workplace culture. An Instagram creator who goes by the handle @shutter_world_stories recently shared a viral video detailing an experience he never had back home in India. The video captures him trade his keyboard for a paintbrush at a local zoo, all thanks to his company’s “Volunteer Day.”Embracing new experiencesIn the clip, he reflects on how moving to the UK has pushed him out of his comfort zone. “After coming to the UK, I have done many such things that I had never done in India,” he shares. “Today, I have become a painter and am painting these railings. Yes, today is Volunteer Day at my office, and my colleagues have sent me to a zoo to paint these railings.”He didn’t hold back his enthusiasm for the initiative, calling it his favorite day of the year. He pointed out that while the work serves a great social cause, it also doubles as a fantastic tool for team bonding and cross-department networking. Breaking the monotony of daily office life to try something entirely new and gain fresh experiences, he notes, is far better than sitting in front of a computer all day. By the end of the day, his team had successfully painted the entire railing.What is a volunteer day exactly?For people who do not know about Volunteer Day the video explains how it works in companies in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom companies give their workers a Volunteer Day, which is also called Community Day or Volunteering Leave. This means workers get paid time off to do charity work or help their community. The video shows that this is a thing for everyone. Workers get to leave their desks and help organizations and they also get to know their coworkers better in a relaxed environment.How netizens reactedThe video was popular on media and many people liked the idea of Volunteer Day. Many people thought it was an idea, with one person saying, “This is a great side of corporate life ” and another person saying, “Small things like this make workers feel more connected to their community.” Many people wished that companies in countries would do something like this. One person said, “I wish Indian companies did things like this often ” and another person said, “This is not just about work it is about life.“Many people were jealous of the chance to do something different with one person saying, “Painting railings at a zoo sounds more fun, than sitting at a computer all day.”
