Cleaning up a park or a canal, distributing packed lunches to the homeless, helping illiterate adults learn to read, volunteerism which covers a multitude of activities is no longer a purely individual affair, and interests an increasing number of Canadian employers. Here’s an overview of what’s in it for them.
Some allow their employees to devote up to 8 hours of paid time a year to volunteering, while others fund trips abroad to build houses or do AIDS prevention work. Canadian employers are increasingly getting on the “employer-supported volunteerism” bandwagon. According to Volunteer Canada, the number of volunteers who said they had their employer’s permission to adjust their work hours to volunteer increased from 22 to 27% between 1997 and 2000. The pan-Canadian organization, which has been promoting volunteerism since 1977, estimates that volunteering programs are spreading throughout the world, even referring to a “globally mushrooming phenomenon.” Investing in the wellbeing and quality of life of communities is important in itself, but since charity begins at home, companies also stand to gain from volunteerism in a variety of ways:
- Enhanced image
Volunteering is good for company reputations in particular, because the companies involved are perceived as responsible social partners. According to an Ipsos Canada poll in April 2008, almost 70% of the Canadian population is very interested in anything to do with corporate social responsibility. The promotion of volunteering by companies also tends to increase the loyalty of their customers and partners. In addition, it’s easier to create a buzz about such companies because their actions attract the media.
- Employee attraction and retention
In a tight job market, it is more important than ever to attract talents, but most of all to keep them. Volunteer Canada reports that the granting of time off by some companies for volunteering contributes to improving employee morale, motivation and availability—and that could ultimately have a favourable impact on sales.
- Development of new skills
Volunteering, a human resources development tool? Why not?! It promotes the development of new, previously unexploited abilities, such as project management, teamwork, and even leadership. In short, volunteering can be a real way of getting ahead, both professionally and personally. Volunteer Canada has also noted an improvement in soft skills, such as better communication with coworkers and increased respect for diversity.
In this respect, many companies opt for a program with a strategic impact, or which represents an employee development objective. Volunteering is thus an integral part of the performance management process.
Volunteer Canada is campaigning for the development of true volunteering policies to serve as a framework for corporate practices. There are very few policies of this type in Canada, although written policies would guarantee and promote the engagement of companies. In addition, defining the terms of volunteering done during business hours would help avoid the confusion and resentment associated with the absence of employees.
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Who volunteers? And how?
Among the most common forms of support for volunteerism, Volunteer Canada mentions access to corporate facilities and equipment (57%), time off (57%), and adjusting work schedules to accommodate volunteer activities (54%).
According to a poll conducted by Imagine Canada’s Knowledge Development Centre*, some employers select and support specific causes in addition to simply supporting employees’ volunteer activities. This was true for more than one in six respondents (16%), who said that in general, employer promotion of a cause had a positive effect on their morale, made them proud to work for their employer and made their work more interesting.
The same poll reported that of the respondents who had volunteered during work hours in the past six months, one quarter (25%) had volunteered for community programs, more than one fifth (22%) had volunteered for children’s programs and one sixth (16%) had volunteered for educational causes. Only 11% had volunteered at a place of worship.
*The study The Impact of Company Support on Employee Volunteering, published in 2006, was based on a survey of 2,125 Canadians.