How employee volunteering boosts purpose and productivity in the workplace
With Volunteers’ Month kicking off on 1st June, it’s the perfect time to get your people excited about doing good. It’s also a time to remember that volunteering isn’t just good for boosting your company’s impact – it’s also key for promoting employee productivity and engagement.
As businesses try to better their CSR offerings and overcome the employee disengagement epidemic, corporate volunteering offers a win-win opportunity. Employee volunteering engages teams and boosts productivity, all while enabling companies to do good.
It’s becoming clearer and clearer that volunteerism is the solution for these pain points: in ACCP’s 4th Annual CSR Insights Survey , 61% of respondents reported an increase in employee volunteering in 2023. This is a change in trend after the decline in employee volunteering since the COVID pandemic. Clearly, businesses are recognising that volunteering is an important element of any CSR strategy.
But why exactly is volunteering so valuable? In this piece, we’ll be diving into how volunteering enhances employee engagement and productivity.
The Link Between Volunteering and Employee Engagement
We all know that doing good makes you feel good, but the relationship between volunteering and employee engagement isn’t based on feeling: it’s based on facts.
Studies show an obvious positive correlation between employee engagement and volunteering. And, don’t forget, more engaged teams are more productive. According to Gallup, highly engaged teams are 18% more productive and companies with highly engaged employees are 23% more profitable.
The Boston School of Management’s 2023 Community Involvement Study showed that employee volunteering is a key driver of employee engagement. A huge 91% of the companies that measured the connection found a positive correlation between employee volunteering and employee engagement scores.
This number doesn’t only reflect traditional, in-person volunteering opportunities. The study showed that virtual volunteering is an effective option for teams working across different locations and schedules, with over 80% of companies implementing a virtual volunteering programme.
This correlation between employee volunteering and engagement isn’t a new discovery. The connection has been proven time and time again across numerous studies.
In 2013, for instance, a University of Georgia study found that staff performed better on work tasks if they were volunteers – even if they volunteered on their own time, not company time. And in 2010, United Healthcare found that 76% of those who volunteer through work had more positive attitudes towards their employer, boosting employee morale.
We’ve known for a long time that volunteers make engaged employees, and with employee disengagement presenting problems for organisations across the globes, it’s time to tap in to volunteering as an effective solution.
The Link Between Volunteering, Productivity, and Performance
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 found that 77% of employees aren’t engaged at work: 59% of employees are “quiet quitting” (disengaged) and 18% are “loud quitting” (actively disengaged).
That means only 23% said they were engaged.
As we mentioned above, employees who volunteer perform better on work tasks than those who don’t. But the relationship between employee engagement and productivity in the workplace doesn’t end there.
Does employee engagement affect your productivity and revenue?
In short, yes. Here are a few key findings from Gallup:
Highly engaged teams are 18% more productive
Employee engagement directly affects your bottom line. Low engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion (US) and accounts for 9% of global GDP
Companies with highly engaged employees are 23% more profitable
The Great Place To Work Institute’s Power of Purpose in the Workplace report 2023 found:
Companies that provide their employees with a sense of purpose and clear direction and expectations outperformed the stock market, achieving returns 6.9% higher than the market
Retention triples at companies where employees feel their work has meaning and is more than “just a job”
A Real-World Case Study
At OnHand, we empower employees to do social and environmental good through flexible, on-demand micro-volunteering opportunities – and our clients reap the rewards.
Domestic and General x OnHand
After launching with OnHand, the D&G 2023 report highlighted some key metrics:
92% employee engagement rate (industry average: 70%)
15% reduction in employee turnover
8% increase in customer satisfaction
Numerous awards for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement
Domestic & General’s commitment to impact is a triumph, and it shows in their employee engagement and retention metrics, as well as their impeccable reputation.
Read the full case study here.
The Sum-Up
In short, corporate volunteering is a win-win-win: it benefits employees, companies, and communities. By embracing employee volunteering, companies can make a positive impact on society, and see their teams become more engaged, productive, and successful.
If you want your people to get stuck in for Volunteers’ Month, book a demo and see if OnHand could be the solution for you.
