The power of volunteering
UK employers are increasingly recognising the important role that volunteering – a force for good in local communities – can play in strengthening workplace wellbeing, culture and performance.
Here we outline five ways to make volunteering part of your wellbeing and engagement strategy.
1. Recognise volunteering as part of your wellbeing strategy
Beyond the obvious benefits to physical or financial health, employee wellbeing is also about emotional fulfilment and fostering a sense of purpose and connection that boosts morale. Enter stage left – volunteering.
Acts of giving, research has revealed, can result in what’s been dubbed a “helper’s high”, improving our mood, reducing stress and increasing resilience.
Employees who regularly volunteer have been found to benefit from greater levels of workplace satisfaction and engagement, because they feel their employer supports their values and sense of purpose.
By incorporating volunteering into your wellbeing strategy, alongside initiatives such as mental health support or fitness programmes, you can help create a culture that nurtures the whole individual.
Even small-scale initiatives, such as supporting local community events or offering employees one day a year for volunteering, can make a real difference.
2. Make volunteering accessible
Some employees who are keen to give back may struggle to find the time to do so.
Employers can help address this and send a clear message that the business values community engagement by offering paid volunteer leave, flexible working hours or organised team initiatives.
Team volunteering days also present an opportunity to boost morale and strengthen employee relationships across departments.
Moreover, allowing staff to pursue individual volunteering opportunities encourages autonomy and personal fulfilment.
To ensure everyone can participate in a way that feels meaningful and authentic to them, organisations may consider a hybrid approach, combining structured events and self-directed volunteering. This might mean using volunteer leave to mentor a young person or take part in a community project close to home.
For SMEs, formal volunteer leave might not be feasible. Flexibility and encouragement, however, such as recognition for employees who give their time outside of work or supporting a cause chosen by staff, can still foster a sense of pride and connection.
3. Align volunteering with business values
Volunteering programmes tend to be more effective when they reflect your business’s culture and values.
A financial services firm, for example, might look to support financial literacy programmes in local schools.
A technology business could run coding workshops for young people, or a hospitality company might consider partnering with food banks or community kitchens.
Aligning initiatives in this way can help embed volunteering as part of a company’s ongoing commitment to giving back, strengthening community ties, reinforcing brand values and making the employee experience more meaningful.
In addition, volunteering can support Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives, helping demonstrate social value in tenders or corporate reporting.
4. Empower employee-led initiatives
Volunteering programmes will often prove more successful if they are employee-led, with staff identifying the causes that they care about, whether that’s mentoring young people, supporting environmental clean-ups or fundraising for local charities.
To promote a sense of ownership businesses should consider setting up an internal volunteering committee or giving teams a small budget to organise their own initiatives.
Storytelling can help inspire others to get involved and keep the spirit of giving alive, so encourage employees to share their experiences afterwards through internal newsletters or wellbeing updates.
Even in small organisations, a simple “spotlight on volunteers” feature will help recognise employees’ efforts and inspire participation.
5. Measure and celebrate impact
Employers can help to sustain employee engagement and highlight the benefits of volunteering to both the workforce and the business by demonstrating its impact.
Metrics can include everything from participation rates and volunteer hours to employee feedback and wellbeing scores.
Shining a spotlight on the qualitative impact is also important. This can be achieved through testimonials from partner charities, stories from volunteers or visible community improvements.
Remember to celebrate success by thanking volunteers publicly, featuring their achievements in internal communications and marking milestones such as Volunteer Week or Giving Tuesday. This helps reinforce the importance of employees’ efforts and boosts company pride.
As volunteering becomes part of everyday working life, employees should start to feel more connected, teams are likely to collaborate more effectively and your business will build a reputation as a responsible and ethical employer of choice.