Employee Benefits poll: Almost two-fifths (38%) of Employee Benefits readers believe that the main benefit of providing staff with dedicated volunteering days is the improvement to employee wellbeing.
A straw poll of www.employeebenefits.co.uk readers, which received 47 responses, also found that 28% feel that the main positive effect of offering volunteer days is to improve employee engagement.
From the organisational perspective, around a fifth (19%) noted that the main benefit was to align with corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals, while 6% value the effect on employer brand.
Only 9% of respondents, overall, either do not think volunteer days are effective or are unsure what the benefits are, compared to 91% who agree to there being at least one positive effect.
Despite this, a survey of 1,342 UK individuals, published by Perkbox in September 2019, found that 63% of employees do not receive any paid volunteer days; 16% receive one volunteer day per year, while 12% can take more than one.
London-based businesses tend to allow for the most volunteering opportunities, with 41% of staff being provided with dedicated leave; meanwhile, Scotland is the least accommodating area, with 75% of the workforce saying they are unable to take time off for CSR activities.
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