Employer Resources

Here are some specific resources relating to volunteering for other more general information follow this link.

Do Employers Have a Role in Volunteering?

A recent report Helping Out[1] (2008) suggests that the main reason people give for not volunteering is a lack of time. “Little spare time” was cited as a particular barrier to taking up a volunteering role. When questioned further 11% of the 2,156 respondents interviewed felt they would volunteer if they worked less.  So does this suggest employers have a role in encouraging a volunteering culture?

Within the Helping Out data, three in ten employees worked for an employer with both a volunteering and giving scheme, and a further fifth had access to one type or the other, although the take up of employer-supported giving schemes was higher(42%) than that of employer –supported volunteering schemes (29%).

Employer-supported volunteering schemes (EVS) are not new. In 2001 The Citizenship Survey[2] found that 18% and by 2005 almost a quarter (24%) of employees questioned within the survey worked for an employer who had a scheme for volunteering. Almost a quarter of those people who participated in EVS received paid time off to volunteer on the employer scheme, up to a maximum amount of time, while 17 per cent received time off in lieu and 15 per cent accounted for the time through flexitime.

The unique feature of employer supported volunteering is the three-way partnership between the employer, employee and the receiver of these volunteers (the Volunteer Involving Organisation e.g. a community group, or charity). For each party there are clear benefits in getting involved. The involvement of businesses in EVS may demonstrate a commitment to corporate social responsibility as well as developing the skills and morale of their workforce. For the employee volunteering offers the satisfaction of ‘giving back’ to society, helps staff develops new skills and enhances existing ones, and is fun and can offer a welcome break from the daily work routine! For the voluntary organisation it increases the supply of volunteers with valuable new skills whilst building important partnerships with business and the public sector.

This arrangement can be informal but formalised programmes exist and further information and support can be found at the Volunteering England website (www.volunteering.org.uk/)

Further information can also be gained from Cares, the Business in the Community’s[3] national campaign to engage employees in their communities through volunteering. Within there website examples of the benefits to both businesses and volunteers can be found along with local contacts for advice and support. www.bitc.org.uk. 

Employer Supported Volunteering Symposium

Do you have a volunteer policy?

Every organisation that involves volunteers should have a volunteer policy. This policy is the starting point for all relationships with volunteers and should form the basis for any volunteer programme, including all aspects of your organisation that affect volunteers (e.g. recruitment, expenses, and health and safety). Fundamentally, it should define the role of volunteers within the organisation, and how they can expect to be treated.

• A volunteer policy demonstrates an organisation’s commitment both to its volunteer programme and to its individual volunteers. It shows an organisation cares and that thought has gone into volunteer schemes.

• It helps to ensure fairness and consistency. Volunteers come from a diversity of backgrounds. Being able to refer to a written policy ensures that decisions are not made on an ad hoc basis, and that all volunteers are treated equally and fairly.

• A policy enables volunteers to know where they stand. It offers them some security, in that they know how they can expect to be treated, and where they can turn to if they feel that things are going wrong.

• It also helps ensure that paid staff, senior management and trustees fully understand why volunteers are involved, and what role they have within the organisation.

What to Include The first thing to consider is why you involve volunteers and how they fit into the day-to-day life and work of the organisation. The whole point of a volunteer policy is that it should reflect the needs of the organisation, and the uniqueness of any organisation should be reflected in its policy.  There may be no blueprint for the perfect policy, but there are some specific issues that should always be addressed.  

• An explanation of what your organisation does
• Your recruitment process, such as how you advertise, how you interview and collect references.
• If your organisation works with vulnerable clients, what procedures protect both them and the volunteers
• Reference to your diversity and equal opportunities policy
• A description of the volunteering role(s)
• Confidentiality
• Information about how volunteers are inducted and trained in your organisation
• Expenses
• Supervision and support
• Insurance
• Health and safety
• Grievances and disciplinary issues

The Information Service at the National Centre for Volunteering can provide further advice on drawing up a volunteer policy. Contact the Freephone helpline (open 10.30-12.30am and 2.00-4.00pm Mon-Fri) on 0800 028 3304, or e-mail information@thecentre.org.uk 

The National Centre for Volunteering Regent’s Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RLMain Switchboard: 020 7520 8900E-mail: information@thecentre.org.uk

Website: www.volunteering.org.uk