Workplace benefits and services provider Personal Group has launched a volunteering leave policy aimed at supporting community engagement.
Every year, the group’s employees are now entitled to one day of paid volunteer leave, which can be taken in half-day increments or hourly blocks to offer flexibility to integrate volunteering into their schedules. It has also introduced a volunteering platform, called Do It, so employees can access a range of national volunteering opportunities.
The policy is part of its commitment to supporting employees who wish to volunteer during working hours. It recognises the impact volunteers can have on local communities and how it can instil a sense of community and purpose.
The organisation additionally provides funding to support various charities and projects through its Personal Assurance Charitable Trust. All employees can donate £100 per year to a charity of their choice, and the trust will match individual fundraising efforts worth up to £500.
In 2015, Personal Group began a partnership with the Memusi Foundation, which works with Kenya and Tanzania communities to provide hope through education. It has offered funded volunteering trips twice a year to the school that staff built in Africa during work time, without impacting annual leave allowances.
In addition, employees at its Milton Keynes head office can volunteer their time by supporting fundraising activities and classroom support to read with children and paint outdoor play equipment at a local school.
Claire Harbord, chief people officer of Personal Group, said: “We recognise the positive difference that volunteers can make to our local communities and how volunteering can provide employees with a sense of community and purpose. Our policy sets out our commitment to supporting employees who want to volunteer during working hours and ensures there are clear conditions and processes in place to achieve this.
“We understand that volunteering opportunities are diverse, and we support any activity that positively impacts the community, vulnerable people in our society, and improves the environment. We are excited about the continued impact Personal Group will make through our volunteering and charitable initiatives.”
