A growing number of employers are arranging volunteering opportunities for their staff, but how does this actually benefit the firms, their workers and the voluntary organisations they are hoping to help?
The topic of employer-supported volunteering (ESV), sometimes also known as corporate volunteering (where companies in some way support or enable their employees to do volunteering) is an under-researched area, says University of Winchester PhD student Paula Glover.
“Whilst there are a number of potential positive outcomes from ESV, it doesn’t always achieve what is intended,” said Paula. “There can be a disconnect between the various stakeholders in terms of what they need and expect from this sort of volunteering.”
“This means that sometimes not all parties get what they want out of an arrangement, and it can even sometimes be a burden for the charity.”
In basic terms, Paula’s research so far has found that there are five categories of motivations for individuals, companies, and charities getting involved in ESV:
Paula, who is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist based in Camberley, wants to better understand how members of the different ESV stakeholder groups perceive and experience this sort of volunteering, what drives their decision to get involved, and what good ESV looks like to them.
“There are stories of charities making up tasks for ESV because they want to forge a relationship with the company,” said Paula.
“The community centre may not need painting again but the charity who run it might be looking to the benefits of a long-term link with a commercial organisation. The charity might also gain one or two new regular volunteers from the ESV.”
Paula’s research is all the more important as statistics show there has been a drop off in the number of people volunteering over recent years.
The decline has continued post-Covid, with many older people who were volunteers before the pandemic not returning to the sector. Whilst there is a similar percentage of young adults (18-24) volunteering, rates are lower in ages 25-64, suggesting that more can be done to harness the volunteering potential of working age adults. With ESV allowing employees to volunteer during work time, this can reduce some of the perceived barriers to volunteering in this age group.
Paula (pictured) has already published a short summary of a scoping review of the existing literature. She hopes her research will help improve the outcomes of ESV initiatives and enable the different ESV stakeholders to better understand the needs and expectations of others.
Paula is now keen to interviews employers, employees, and charity and community organisations about their experiences of any form of ESV. Visit Paula’s website to find out more about her research and see how you can help My PhD Research | Paula Glover.
Paula Glover is a Chartered and Registered Occupational Psychologist, who works with HR leaders to help them better understand employee motivations and behaviours, and the lived experience of employees at work. She produces research to support evidence-based HR decision-making about People policies and strategies.
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