Many full-time and part-time workers enjoy the personal benefits of volunteering, but did you know that encouraging your staff to give back to the community can also benefit your business?
As part of National Volunteer Week, which runs until May 18, NSW Volunteering senior manager Simon Watts wrote an article for the Sydney Morning Herald explaining the benefits volunteer work can bring to small and medium-sized businesses.
He wrote that according to recent survey results from the Commonwealth government, approximately one-third of people are keen to participate in volunteering programs through their employer.
Giving staff the option of volunteering can be an excellent business strategy, Watts added, because it can make their work more meaningful, help employees form stronger relationships with each other and the community, improve engagement, increase morale and decrease workforce turnover.
According to Volunteering NSW, 34 per cent of people in Sydney volunteer their time, compared with 42 per cent in the rest of the state.
On the whole, employed people are more likely to participate in volunteer work than those who are unemployed or not in the labour force. Figures from the organisation also show that volunteers enjoy higher satisfaction with their lives than non-volunteers and that they are more likely to participate in and attend other community events.
Would your employees be interested in carrying out volunteer work? An employee engagement survey is an excellent way to check in with your staff and find out if they are interested in taking on new challenges and opportunities.
You can also use employee surveys to monitor the success of existing programs and training in place at your organisation, and to gauge the success of any changes you decide to make within your company. Contact PeoplePulse today for a free demonstration of our survey software.
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