While 77% of employers offer paid volunteering time, 38% of employees said they never use it, according to research by corporate volunteering platform OnHand.
Its From policy to practice: bridging the workplace volunteering disconnect report, which surveyed 471 employees across various industries and sizes of organisation, also found that fewer than 10% of respondents take part in volunteering monthly or weekly, and 17% were unsure how much volunteering time their workplace offered. The lowest proportion of those who take part in volunteering programmes have a tenure of six-to-12 months.
Only 4% of organisations offer six or more volunteering days a year, while the majority offer just one day, with two and three days being the next most common.
Just under three-quarters (72%) do not believe those who volunteer are more valued in their workplace, while 60% do not notice or are not sure whether volunteering increases their productivity and morale, largely because they have not volunteered.
Despite this, 40% said volunteering has positively impacted their workplace productivity, as well as their motivation, mindfulness, team relationships, morale, and attitude. Additionally, 72% said their workplace has a supportive culture regarding volunteering.
Sanjay Lobo, founder and chief executive officer of OnHand, said: “The issue of employees not engaging with availability opportunities lies in a combination of factors such as lack of clarity about policies, insufficient flexibility and limited cultural reinforcement. While the desire and resources to provide volunteering opportunities are there, encouraging employees to make an impact requires a finer-tuned approach than just introducing a volunteering policy and expecting them to manage it themselves.
“Leaders need to celebrate employees who volunteer as this motivates and inspires others. Introducing flexible opportunities for employees to do good when, where and how they want is important. And leading by example is key, as well as ensuring a volunteering policy is clear. By prioritising these four checkpoints, employers can boost workplace volunteering scheme and close any disconnect between policy and practice.”
