Supporting employee volunteering can provide a wide range of benefits to an employer through:
Skills Development of Employees
- Develops skills such as communication, leadership, teamworking, project management, listening and negotiation, creativity, innovation and confidence through experience rather than formal training.
- Cheaper and more effective than training courses because staff are in unfamiliar environments and dependent on their own initiative
- Can provide the opportunity to practise new skills immediately after training courses
- Professional skills development for younger staff
- Exposure to the strategic management of a whole organisation
Improving Organisational Cohesion
- Very effective team building
- Improved understanding between staff from different departments or levels of seniority
Boosting Staff Attitudes and Morale (leading to improved staff retention)
- Opportunity to have a fun day out of the office
- Chance for staff to gain recognition
- Increases staff pride in the company
- Generates a “feel good factor “
Enhancing Company Profile
- Secures positive media coverage
- Raises local profile through making a visible impact on the community
- Effective contribution to the corporate social responsibility agenda
- Enhances company reputation as a corporately responsible employer
- Genuine contribution to the local community – “giving something back“
- Knock-on effect in terms of recruitment
Understanding and working with the wider Community
- Establish relationships at all levels in the local community
- Increases staff awareness of community issues, eg. diversity