Businesses and the public sector are increasingly interested in how their own staff can become involved in volunteering. Many and varied programmes are being set up to assist employees to volunteer, whether during work hours or in their own time.
24% of employees in England and Wales work for employers with schemes for volunteers. Of these, 25% receive paid time off to volunteer on their employer’s scheme. 75% of FTSE 100 companies have employer-supported volunteering programmes while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) also realise the huge importance of local relationships to their business. An estimated 61% of SMEs are involved in their community in some way.
Employer supported volunteering can complement and enhance other community investment programmes, such as charitable and community donations, payroll giving schemes, charity of the year partnerships, recycling office equipment, and other forms of giving time such as secondments.
What distinguishes employer supported volunteering from other forms of volunteering?
Employer supported volunteering is a three-way partnership between the employer, employee and the receiver of these volunteers (the Volunteer Involving Organisation e.g. a community group, school, hospital, local football team). For each party there are clear benefits in getting involved.
Benefits for the employer:
- Demonstrates commitment to building healthy communities
- Develops skills and morale in the workforce
- Improves image and can help reinforce brand loyalty.
Benefits for the employee:
- Offers the satisfaction of ‘giving back’ to society
- Develops new skills and enhances existing ones
- Is fun and can offer a welcome break from the daily work routine!
Benefits for the volunteer-involving organisation and the community:
- Increases the supply of volunteers with valuable new skills
- Builds important partnerships with business and the public sector
- Helps to break down barriers between different sections of society.
