Being involved in your community has obvious benefits for your community and the people who live there. But, companies who focus on community involvement have realized it has a lot of benefits for employees as well. Here are five of the greatest benefits that having a corporate volunteering program offers to your employees.
It builds loyalty
Employees who volunteer together work better together. One survey from 2017 found that employees like having community involvement incorporated into the workday. Millennials who participate in workplace volunteer activities are more likely to loyal, proud and satisfied employees. Employees want to feel they’re part of an organization that is giving back to the community.
It makes work emotional
Volunteering in the community is an emotional experience. You get to see first hand how you’re making a difference in the lives of others. That emotional benefit helps to lessen stress and help you feel more positive at work. Of 357,000 people surveyed, those who had a positive volunteering experience were four times more likely to say their teams would give extra to get the job done.
It builds people skills
Interacting with coworkers outside of work allows you to experience them in a new way. Everyone’s guard drops and the conversation turns to personal topics instead of deadlines. It enables employees to build deeper bonds with one another and connect on a new level. Employees who get along well work better together as well.
It promotes leadership
Managers need to provide their employees with opportunities to excel and display their leadership skills. Volunteering outside of your normal scope of work gives employees the chance to flex and learn different skills, and the opportunity to step into a leadership position. Some of the business skills that translate well into leadership are managing teams, coordinating events and public speaking. Organizing an event requires effective leadership. If your team can do so for a nonprofit event, they’ll be able to do it at work as well.
It attracts new hires
The job perk that millennials value the most is having the opportunity to give back to others. Corporate volunteering programs are something that younger employees look for when applying to jobs. Offering employees volunteer hours, in addition to having office-wide volunteer initiatives will both attract new employees and help retain your current employees as well.