8 Reasons Volunteering Can Boost Your Company Culture

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It’s a fact that happy employees are those who feel that they can make a positive impact on the company they work for and on the world.

Cone research shows that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a good way of attracting, motivating and inspiring workers. In view of this, we have created a guide for recruiters and hiring managers on how to create better conditions for employees with the help of implementing volunteer programs.

Volunteering can be beneficial for every company. It can be a great tool for increasing employee engagement, spreading the word about a company’s values, and making a significant influence on the world.

So, let’s take a closer look at the perks of volunteering opportunities for any organization.

Key Takeaways:

• Volunteering can help boost your company’s image and creates a positive workplace.

• Volunteering makes all employees involved and it can help engage new employees to talk and make connections.

• Participating in volunteer events can help build an employees leadership skills.

1. Boosting Your Company’s Image

   Every firm is concerned about the level of stress of its workers, as it greatly affects the productivity of each individual employee. That is why the latest trend in establishing an upbeat company culture suggests implementing volunteer programs. Doing activities which benefit others is a great stress reducer. If you’re not sure whether your company could get involved in such a program, make sure you only look into those programs that reflect your company’s values and culture.

2. Engage New Employees

   A recent survey has shown that Millennials are not only interested in their salary but also in the impact they can have on the environment. That’s why potential new employees will always express an interest in any volunteering opportunities offered by a potential employer.

   Volunteering attracts new employees and often becomes a critical decision making factor when looking for a new job. These types of activities especially appeal to Millennials who love to share their ideas and activities through various media channels (posting pictures on Instagram or making YouTube videos), and this is how they engage more people by bringing awareness about certain issue to the world.

3. Involve All Employees

   By involving your team in certain volunteer type activities, many of you employees will reveal their hidden talents, while others will improve certain skills and develop a sense of creativity. That’s why every worker should be involved in a volunteering project.

4. Choose The Best Alternative

   Focus on the best interests of your employees and force volunteering upon them, as that won’t be good for the company or the employees. People need to feel as if they have a choice and can decide on the corporate volunteer programs they want to take part in. Forcing a program on the staff will only be perceived negatively.

5. Make It Flexible

   There are many different types of volunteering programs out there, so be careful when deciding which ones to offer your team. Perhaps send out a questionnaire and, based on the results from the team, decide on the most suitable program(s) for the company. The most popular ones tend to be:

   • In-office. This type of program is perfect for those who may not want to sacrifice their weekends. With in-house volunteer programs, all the magic happens in the workplace. Employees collaborate in, for instance, the boardroom and bring some great ideas to life. They could create objects (toys, maps, cards, etc.) on their own, work on projects suggested by the volunteering organization, or plan events.

   • Time off. If you’re sure that your staff can generously dedicate one day per month (which could be on a weekend) for volunteering you could consider implementing a program like this. In this case you don’t have to go into the office. Instead, they might visit (or perhaps even host) a special event, or aid on-site at a particular charity or volunteer organization.

6. Foster Team Building And Communication

   Volunteer activities unite like-minded people who work together, giving them a chance to give back to the world. The satisfaction derived from such actions can often be underestimated by HR managers, which can become a huge problem. All in all, participating in volunteering programs has become a beneficial tool for team building and is also beneficial for communication. Working together to achieve a charitable goal can bring people together and makes them interact, negotiate, come to decisions and actually get to know each other while building  new relationships.

7. Improve Leadership Skills

   People participating in volunteering events can certainly develop and build on their leadership skills. Elizabeth Dove, director of Corporate Citizenship at Volunteer Canada says that, “Giving back initiatives and a volunteer program needs to be first highly supported by leaders at the highest level of leadership”. Do not forget that for a lot of people the philosophy of giving back is essential in everyday life, and by providing them with a chance to use their work as a way to comply with it, you give them the most precious gift of understanding and support.

8. Set Up Long-Term Partnerships

   It is beneficial for every company to have long-lasting partnerships with a certain volunteering organizations. When new employees join the team, the longer serving team members will share stories connected with the type of volunteering activities they’ve been involved with in the past. Partner-based volunteering programs increase the level of participation and can help inspire workers.

Volunteering and Company Culture FAQ

1. What are the advantages of volunteering?

   Volunteering can help you build your network, expand your resume, and help you learn something new. Volunteering is a great time to meet new people and build your network. Most of the people who volunteer come from different backgrounds so it’s a great way to help expand your professional and personal network. Volunteering is also a great thing to add to your resume. It’s new experiences and it can help you learn something new and learn new skills.

2. How do you boost your company culture?

   To help boost your company culture, you should build strong relationships with your employees and create positive employee experiences. When you have strong relationships with your employees, you are able to connect with them more. This can help them like they are apart of something larger and it helps them feel more motivated. It also helps create positive employee experiences. Without positive experiences, employees can get bored and find somewhere else that will provide them those experiences.

3. What are the elements that create a strong company culture?

   The three elements that help create a strong company culture are leadership, communication, and listening. Leadership helps set the tone for what the company culture will be like and how employees act. When leaders are not invested in creating a strong company culture, employees will not believe in the company and make it great.

   Communication is also important to building a strong culture. Without communication, things can get confusing and mistakes can happen. Listening is a big part in communicating because without listening to your employees, you are unable to show them that they care are that you want them to succeed in the company.

4. Why is volunteering good for a company?

   Volunteering is good for a company because it helps promote trust and builds a sense of community among employees. When volunteering, everyone is working toward a common goal, so it’s important for employees as well as employers work together to build trust and communication to get the task at hand done. Volunteering can also help build new relationships between coworkers who may not get a chance to work together often. This helps create a community within the company and makes the workplace more positive.

Final Thoughts

Give your employees the chance to be happy and motivated while they give back to the community or environment while representing your company. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Author

Taylor Berman

Taylor is a freelance writer from Pennsylvania. Taylor got into writing because she enjoys writing articles that help people and loves creating stories that inspire. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations with an interest in communications media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.