Employee Volunteering Check Up - Company Journey

The following profiles describe companies at different stages of their employee volunteering development journey:

1. When an employer first starts thinking about employee volunteering they understand it is simply a good thing to do.

They are likely to be reactive in their approach. They respond to requests from employees to volunteer on a case by case basis, and allow this through unpaid leave. Many of their employees will be volunteering through their own initiative, and the employer won’t tend to have any record of it. Many employers at this stage do support employee fundraising, payroll giving and will donate money to charities. This existing community involvement can form the basis for introducing employee volunteering.

2. An employer with an established programme will fully understand the business case for why employees should volunteer in work time.

They know what the key social issues are in the communities where they operate and have used this as a focus for volunteering activity. They have the support of senior management and have a volunteering champion at board level.

The employer will proactively encourage employees to volunteer and will target influential groups such as high potential employees, graduates and senior managers. There will be a selection of team and individual opportunities available throughout the year, and it’s likely that a relationship with a volunteering broker has been established. 

Employees will give their feedback on the programmes through regular surveys as part of an established evaluation process. Employee volunteering activity will also be included in the Annual Review or Corporate Responsibility report.

3. A Leading Edge employer will be in a position to inspire other companies by sharing their learning through awards and external recognition such as the CommunityMark.

An employer at this level will understand their own business case and have evidence of the impact of their volunteering. They can use this experience to encourage suppliers, partners and other local businesses to get involved in volunteering. By leading on collaborative projects, they maximise the impact of volunteering on both their organisation and the community.

Their employee volunteering activity is fully integrated as a tool for delivering the organisation’s learning and development objectives. They will also recognise the value volunteering adds to their employer brand as it attracts talented new employees and helps to retain existing people.