Business group volunteering - how it can help your business

Develop your business, enthuse your team and show you really care by sending your employees volunteering!

Teaching English in Uganda or conserving forests in Costa Rica may not seem relevant to every business but employee volunteering can actually do wonders for your business. It can bring people together, teach them new skills and even help them to discover skills they never knew they had! Volunteering will also give your employees the chance to go out there and really make a difference, vitally important for giving them a sense of purpose and enforcing a belief that hard work can bring about fantastic results.

On top of all that it’s also a great way to prove your commitment to your staff and to your corporate social responsibility obligations in the best and most meaningful way. Getting involved in volunteering projects not only contributes positively to the communities you’re working with but shows your company to be aware of the importance of community development and actively involved in community progression.

Rewards and incentives

If your employees are doing well, continuation of such good performance can only be helped by acknowledgement. Gone are the days when a pat on the back and the dubious title of 'Employee of the Month’ were enough to keep people happy in the workplace. The highest quality employees now demand so much more and a well targeted volunteering project can act as a memorable reward for outstanding groups and individuals. It can also give your employees something really worthwhile and positive to work towards, what better incentive to improve those stats than an overland safari tour of South Africa.

Team-building

The ultimate office cliche 'team work’ is a centre point of all good businesses. It’s impossible to underestimate how much easier a task is to complete when a good team is set to work; knowledge of each others roles and skills can make sure they are utilized to maximum effect, as well as giving your team some real motivation! As the business world becomes more and more demanding the importance of team-building is increasing. It’s a vital business tool and if you’re going to excel in your field you need to make the most of it!

Staff development programs encourage employees to develop a strong group ethic so they can effectively work together to achieve company goals and objectives. Furthermore, volunteer challenges really give you and your team a chance to work outside the box; not your average assault course of tyres and nets in a wet muddy field, volunteer challenges can be anything from sports coaching in Brazil to teaching English in coastal Thailand, and serve to inject a sense of fun into the everyday;

“The business now has a group of people who understand that working well as a team isn't just about doing the work.” Deborah Lodge, Employee Volunteer, HBoS

Personal development

With the escalating costs and uncertainty surrounding recruitment, personal development initiatives have never been of such financial significance. An employee volunteering program can help your staff reach their full potential by teaching them new skills and giving them new perspectives. There’s nothing quite like learning by doing, teaching in Bangladesh and feeding Pandas in China can help your employees to develop many transferable skills that will be just as useful in the office! Improving ability to organize, improvise and work under pressure are valuable skills in the office that volunteer work enhances in the most unexpected of places. Forget trying to educate people in a classroom, put them to test in the real world and watch them flourish!

Recruit and retain

Building a successful team that works well together can take months, even years, so it’s always a good idea to look at different ways of keeping your team as well as invigorating them. Employers also may need to consider the financial benefits of keeping your team members; the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development estimated the overall employee turnover rate for the UK in 2006 to have been 18.2%, and with the average cost of finding and training a new employee resting at £8,200 (£12,000 for senior management) the cost to businesses can be crippling. In order to survive, the innovative modern business must prioritize employee retention.

Investing in a staff development program will demonstrate your commitment to your staff and their personal advancement. As well as making you a great boss for your current employees and reduced your employee turnover, proof that you care about your worker will attract new staff to your business.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Employee Volunteering is a great way to bring your CSR strategy to life while making a positive contribution to the world around us. Businesses, customers, staff and investors around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about the role of business in the global community. Being seen to take your environmental and social responsibilities seriously by working with a meaningful and sustainable travel company is a great way of ticking all the boxes and making a tangible difference.

Reputation and credibility

Far be it from us to turn something as challenging, rewarding and positive as employee volunteering into yet another PR and branding exercise; but it can have a far reaching effect in those fields. By demonstrating that you fully embrace your social responsibilities and by letting this become part of your branding, PR and marketing strategies, you can improve the wider perception of your company and your ability to trade in the global market place. Having a good company image and a happy team can only improve business prospects as well as making that 6am alarm call not quite so unwelcome!

• http://www.employeevolunteering.co.uk/
• http://www.vso.org.uk/volunteering/business/index.asp
• http://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/

Page Comments

Add Your Comment!

Log in to leave a comment or Create an account