The value of volunteering

Every year around the first week in June we celebrate Volunteers’ Week. It exists to highlight that our diversity is our strength, show that there’s more than one way to volunteer and encourage people to be the change we want to see.

Last year the focus on volunteering was sharpened as our new King, Charles III, introduced The Big Help Out, a national day of volunteering on Monday 8th May to celebrate his coronation.  As Matt Hyde, Chief Executive of the Scouts said, “This is more than about one day… this is about a legacy of volunteering in this country”.  And this year we celebrate 40 years of Volunteers’ Week.

In 2019/20, about 23% of the UK population volunteered at least once a month however, in 2021/22, this dropped to 16% according to the latest Community Life Survey.  Yet those who volunteer experience many benefits (see table below).

Why should companies encourage their people to volunteer?

The benefits are widespread as our table below shows:

So, how can companies encourage their people to volunteer?

  • Introduce a Volunteering policy; this gives your people the flexibility to volunteer during the workday and still get paid. The policy should set out the amount of time an individual can take off for volunteering, any requirements for volunteering activities and the process for getting leave approved.
  • Partner with not-for-profit organisations that align with the company’s values and objectives; people feel a greater sense of purpose and pride by contributing to causes they care about which are supported by their employer.
  • Recognise and celebrate employee volunteer efforts: this helps to create a culture of volunteering and encourages more people to get involved. It can be as simple as a mention in a social media post or company newsletter.  Some larger companies even host an annual volunteer appreciation event.

At People Business, many of us volunteer in numerous different ways in our spare time. Here are just a few…

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  • Helping run a community pub
  • Volunteer member of community shop
  • Diversity and Inclusion rep for local triathlon group
  • Set up and run activities for a not-for-profit organisation
  • Food shops and collecting prescriptions for vulnerable/isolated people during COVID lockdowns
  • Member of school PTA

What do we do at People Business  to champion volunteering at work?

  • We partner with blueprintforall.org, who work with young people, communities and organisations to create an inclusive society in which everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or background is provided with tangible opportunities to thrive.
  • We have a Volunteering policy which allows each employee to take a day’s paid leave volunteering every year.

 If you’d like to introduce a Volunteering policy, we can help.  Please contact us to find out more.

And for more information and inpsiration, please take a look at the following resources:

www.volunteersweek.org

Volunteer – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)