Half of all employers allow their staff to participate in voluntary activities in order to develop their skills, according to a report by the Chartered Institute of Skills and Development (CIPD).
The research into corporate volunteering shows that 50% of all employers allow their employees to volunteer during working hours. Of these, 27% offer paid voluntary work and 23% offer unpaid time.
Of SME employers:
- 54% do not offer any voluntary opportunities
- 15% pay their staff to work on voluntary projects
- 23% allow them to do unpaid voluntary work.
Of those employers who do allow their staff to volunteer, 93% see it as an opportunity for employees to develop their skills. However, only 39% say that volunteering is formally implemented with personal development plans.
According to employers, the 3 most important skills employees learn through voluntary projects are:
- teamwork (82%)
- communication (80%)
- an understanding of local communities (45%).
Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, said:
“Our research shows that corporate volunteering benefits businesses and their employees, as well as the communities in which they work. Not only does it help businesses build stronger roots in their local communities, but it also gives employees an invaluable opportunity to develop new skills and give something back.”
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