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Skills shortages still exist in a number of sectors despite the economic climate. It isn’t hard to get a job in some areas where skills are short or the individual is highly talented. This means that employers must look at new and innovative ways of retaining valued employees. Volunteering is one means.
Employer-supported volunteering is becoming increasingly popular as staff want to be able to get involved in their communities and an organisation recognising that effort will be more attractive to both current and prospective employees. In establishing guidelines for volunteering, HR should stipulate exactly what is involved in the employee handbook to avoid any potential confusion or misunderstanding. This also provides a useful opportunity to outline the ways the employer encourages voluntary activities. Diversity can also be linked to volunteering. Working with under-represented groups can assist in an organisation becoming or remaining an employer of choice and can build respect of others and personal self esteem amongst staff. According to some charities that we speak with regularly, they are short of volunteers to work with certain groups such as prisoners, ex-offenders, disabled people, refugees and asylum seekers. Volunteering can also tie in with health and wellbeing in the workplace. One of our clients encourages employees to train for a charity long distance cycle ride, where the funds raised are used by schools in Rwanda to improve the dental care of their pupils. The team of cyclists are allowed flexibility in their start and finish times. During the training absenteeism fell and levels of morale rose considerably! For organisations unfamiliar with volunteering Business in the Community (BITC) is a good place to start. It is a membership-based organisation that encourages employers to adopt initiatives that have a positive impact on the local community. Typically they encourage employees to step away from their desks and try their hands at community work - exchanging their suits and computers for overalls and paintbrushes, or the plush office for a classroom setting. It was recently calculated that volunteering as an industry is worth £48 billion to the economy. Flatter organisational structures result in fewer opportunities for organisations to develop the skills of employees for future roles as leaders. Volunteering therefore provides something of a ‘low-risk’ option for career-orientated individuals to demonstrate what they can do. Forward-thinking organisations recognise that job seekers increasingly take into account the corporate social responsibility credentials of their new employer. Since 2005 was designated ‘Year of the Volunteer’ there has been a shift such that older workers and senior executives are now getting involved. Having a website that talks about such initiatives is a good way of communicating what you are supporting: sponsoring events, adding it to marketing material and entering certain awards ceremonies are also useful. Some graduate programmes involve a period undertaking voluntary activities, which may include spending time with disadvantaged children to provide a valuable lesson in how to deal with different, and at times quite difficult people. The intention is that this will produce young people that are rounded individuals that are able to communicate with all levels of society. Sarah King, Chief Executive at Reach believes recognising individuals as members of their community can help. "In organisations that encourage people to participate in their local communities, loyalty is created and so is a sense of being valued. Volunteers gain from using their skills to make a difference and our research shows that motivation, self-esteem and wellbeing improve as a result. "Graduates and trainees deciding whether to stay or take their training elsewhere report that community involvement is a key motivator in selecting or staying with an employer. "It’s not just about good CSR, it’s about attracting and retaining the right skills and talent and they’re recognising that volunteering can be a key factor in that decision." Non-financial benefits such as the opportunity to gain recognition for a contribution to the business may make the difference in a handful of people staying rather than resigning to work for a competitor. Annual pay rises may not be possible in the next year and this will have an impact on levels of employee engagement but fulfilment can be obtained by volunteering: if the workforce is content, they can act as the company’s brand ambassadors and talk positively about their employer. One of our clients wanted to improve the presentation skills of its younger employees. Traditional training courses didn’t really produce a value for money return over a number of years and the need for a different approach was identified. As an alternative, local community groups were contacted and offers made to design and deliver presentations on any subject required. Topics selected included:
In terms of volunteering, employees benefit from expanding their contacts network, meeting new people and receive tremendous satisfaction by ‘giving something back’. Certainly in schools, volunteers we speak with talk in a very enthusiastically about the immediate feedback that is received and the direct payback resulting from the impact of their work. They become more confident and improve their customer service skills due to greater empathy. Today’s volunteers are the leaders of tomorrow - give them a platform to show what they can do!
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