The month of April is dedicated for a time to celebrate and recognize the hard work and contributions of all volunteers.
It is an opportunity to join the impact of volunteerism and encourage more people to get involved in their families. Additionally, Employee Volunteer Programs help promote camaraderie in the workplace, building a strong corporate brand and give employees an opportunity to support causes that align with their values and beliefs. Research has shown that these volunteer programs improve satisfaction, foster employee engagement, and boost retention.
What are some reasons to let employees volunteer?
Learn new skills: As a volunteer, an employee can be faced with problems and must deal with a mix of personalities, all while adjusting to life outside of their comfort zone. This helps to improve teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and even people skills.
Let them make an impact: Volunteering gives the volunteer and the company a chance to contribute to the kind of community and world that we all want to live in. It gives the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than us and to use skills and knowledge to assist in the empowerment of other people across the community, the country, and the globe.
They can contribute to a cause: When employees are allowed to volunteer, it should start with where their passions are; others, animals, teaching, public health, values, etc.
They learn to empower others: Allowing employees to participate in a sustainable, long-term program can help to empower all involved.
They can make meaningful connections: Allowing employees to volunteer lets them meet people from all walks of life. It gives them the chance to form relationships that can have a lasting impact on their corporate life, their personal life, the communities, and untold others’ lives.
5 Reasons people should volunteer according to the United Way:
Give Back! Actions speak louder than words
It’s Good for You! Volunteering improves your mental and physical health
New experiences! Get out of your comfort zone
Improves the resume! Looks great and opens doors
It’s fun! Make friends and have fun.
There is practically no wrong way to get employees involved in giving back locally, globally, and/or virtually. However, there are a few potential issues to watch out for, which an Employee Volunteer Policy could help mitigate.
What is an Employee Volunteer Policy?
A good Employee Volunteer Policy will outline the building blocks that your volunteering program sits on. If you are a non-profit and thinking about involving volunteers for the first time, it is a great place to start so you can think through all aspects of including volunteers internally. Ensure to take time to discuss your volunteer policy with management, leaders, and employees. When you involve others, they are more likely to feel part of it and make it a living and pertinent document. It is worth considering setting up a group that will be involved in creating and/or reviewing the policy. There is not a magical formula for an Employee Volunteer Policy and the sections that are most important to you will depend on your organization. However, there are always some things that should be considered and possibly covered. It is useful to keep the initial Employee Volunteer Policy short and user-friendly, then refer to your full policies and procedures for clarification.
Below are some suggestions for areas to cover in your Employee Volunteer Policy:
Provide Volunteering Vision and Mission: Then follow this up with your policies and procedures and be more specific about what you hope to achieve by involving volunteers.
Match the right volunteers to the right role: Information about the organization decides on the right volunteers for different roles and tasks such as, but not limited to, application forms, informal interviews, buddy scheme, sampler sessions, and trial periods.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: You should set out the organization’s commitment to embracing diversity and promoting equality and inclusion.
Health, Safety, and Insurance: This may include a statement that volunteers are covered by the organization’s insurance, details of specific safety guidelines for roles, your health, and the safety policy.
Guidelines and Expectations: Clear expectations lead to successful programs! Add details that would be helpful to clarify guidelines for how volunteers should act out when out in the community.
Confidentiality: Contain a general statement referring to a separate confidentiality policy that outlines the importance of confidentiality and volunteers’ responsibility within the process. This should include confidentiality in relations to use of social media.
if you are a non-profit organization, you may want to consider:
The importance of discussing why you are involving volunteers and how they will sit alongside the running on the organization. Discussing it with those in senior positions helps ensure that the resources that are needed will be in place. It’s worth thinking about compiling a Volunteer Handbook:
Introduction to the organization and why volunteers are involved: Include in your policy an explanation of what your organization or group does, why it involves volunteers and the principles that underpin volunteer involvement.
The role of staff delivering volunteering: This is an opportunity to explain the organizational structure and what people do, perhaps provide photographs of who is who and identify any key staff involved in supporting volunteers.
Thank you for reading this month’s article! Don’t forget to check back in next month for our latest post. We’re excited to continue sharing valuable insights and information with you. Stay tuned!