Written by Nicola Gater | 13th December 2022
There are huge numbers of charity and community projects across the country that rely on the time and skills of volunteers to deliver their valuable services and support. We know that due to the cost of living crisis, food banks, warm spaces and social groups specifically are struggling to find enough volunteers to keep up with increasing demand.
People often want to help and volunteer for a good cause, but there are many reasons why they feel they may not be able to – including fitting volunteering around the day job.
The UK GOV Community Life Survey indicated that almost half of respondents said ‘work commitments’ were the main reason for not being able to take part.
With employers increasingly looking at how they can add value and positive experience to the lives of their employees, as well as the communities in which they operate, there is a role to play in supporting employees who wish to volunteer. As well as the positive impact for the wider community, the employer can often benefit from happier, more fulfilled individuals who find a real sense of purpose in using their skills and work experience to benefit these projects, who may also gain new skills from their volunteering experience that they then bring back to the workplace.
More and more now, individuals are looking at these types of employee offers in deciding who to work for, and so supporting volunteering schemes can also improve employee retention and help attract top talent to your business.
Here are 3 ways you can help support your employees with volunteering:
- Offer paid leave for volunteering
Paid leave can either be offered as time off for volunteering on a project of the employee’s personal choice, or as part of a specific project or partnership organised by the employer, as an Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) scheme.
As part of your employee benefits package, you can offer a set number of days each year specifically to be used for volunteering, so that employees feel able to volunteer without being disadvantaged financially and without having to use their own holiday entitlement.
This would offer a solution to employees who may not otherwise be able to volunteer, or who struggle with childcare or who are simply too tired on their days off to consider volunteering.
It is important to have a clear policy that is communicated to employees, so that they are aware of the scheme and any conditions you attach – for example the number of volunteering days allowed, when and for what they may be taken, and the process for agreeing them.
- Connect your employees with charities through ESV schemes
As indicated in the Community Life Survey, 22% of those asked, said that the main reason they don’t volunteer was either that ‘they didn’t know any groups who needed help’ or ‘haven’t heard of any opportunities to help’.
An Employer Supported Volunteering scheme would enable employees to work on a volunteering project organised by the employer, either as a one-off or an ongoing partnership with a local community organisation or charity. Many employers appoint a “Charity of the Year” for fundraising purposes and the ESV scheme goes one step further in providing skilled individuals and resources to the charity or community project instead of just cash.
Local organisations often have a low budget, may be short-staffed or have a skill gap. Your business can offer help to them which will, in turn, help build the community around where your business is located.
A successful ESV scheme involves communication between the employer, employee, and the chosen organisation, and agreeing responsibilities upfront. There may be queries over expenses, travel arrangements, health and safety, or other details that should be discussed before the volunteering starts.
Involving employees in selecting community projects or partner charities will also support the feeling of involvement and engagement. Find out what they are passionate about and where they would be interested in offering their skills. Playing to their interests will help encourage them to volunteer – you might even learn more about them.
- Offer flexible working to support volunteering
Not every employer will be able to offer paid time off for volunteering, however they can still support their employees by offering flexible working opportunities so that your employees can volunteer around their regular work commitments. Either as an occasional arrangement, or something more permanent, different working patterns such as part time working, flexi-time, early finishes or working from home can give your employees the extra hours they need to volunteer individually within their own community – whether that’s fundraising events, local activities, or projects.
If you have any questions about volunteering or would like some support to develop your own policies and practices to implement a scheme, you can get in touch.