Time off to give back. We talk about it on this blog a lot, because employees love the idea of giving back. But a lot of the stories are about going big. Traveling to Honduras, volunteering for the big cats. But the great thing about this time off to give back, is that it doesn't HAVE to be about going big. We can find ways to help in our communities every day!

Take for example Amy Cable, a Career Services Manager who I spoke with recently.

Amy has been recruiting at Cisco for roughly 10 years. She lives in Austin, TX and is an avid volunteer! She loves Cisco's Time2Give initiative because it gives her paid time off to do the things that she already does!

"I now have the option to volunteer during the workday instead of having to bring my laptop with me! It gives me more motivation to volunteer now that I know I have the time."

Amy's son is on his high school's baseball team, and as with most sports, parents are asked to help work concession stands and volunteer to plan events. Last year she put in over 100 hours to volunteer and found herself bringing her laptop to these events so that she could work while fulfilling her parental duties.

"It's so nice to now be able to say, 'hey, I'm going to take this time off, and Cisco's offering to pay me to do the things that I love to do'-volunteering and giving back!"

Most recently, Amy lead a team of parents to host the baseball booster club banquet-an event that had over 190 RSVPs! She had been planning the event since August and was able to use a half-day of her Time2Give on the day of the event to set up, decorate, and oversee the event itself.

"It wasn't a Cisco event, but it was so nice that I could take off and not have to worry about work!"

This program gives Cisco employees the freedom to choose how they give back. Amy suggests finding volunteer opportunities through your local Civic Council or just a simple Web search.

For employees, theres a Cisco Citizen Web page to help you find upcoming volunteer opportunities according to your location. You can also look up other charities to volunteer at on your own that Cisco already supports! For these organizations, Cisco will contribute up to a certain dollar amount for your volunteer time, as well as match monetary donations.

Giving back doesn't always have to be extravagant! As long as you're giving back to the community in a way that matters to you and others, that's what counts.

And that's the real beauty about Cisco's giving back benefit. Amy was able to help her son's booster club on a workday, and spend her time making a difference for a cause that matters to her.

Tell us in comments -how do you plan on making a difference?

And if you want to help change the world at Cisco, you can search for openings here.