October, 2019
For the most engaged employees, work is a place where a person can make a difference in the lives of others. Yet other employees on your team need that same level of care and concern in order to be successful. Both groups of team members can benefit when your organization decides to invest time volunteering. No matter how you choose to do it, dedicating part of your organization’s mission to volunteerism is a great way to demonstrate leadership. Some businesses give workers time off to volunteer for a cause about which they are passionate. Other organizations choose to serve in their community during regular business hours. Here’s how your team will benefit when you put volunteering front and center:
- Better time management. Most of us think we’re constantly busy. But when our schedules start to become packed, we tend to find ways to get more work done with less time. By adding volunteerism to your employees’ calendars, you’ll encourage them to do their other tasks efficiently so they also have time to participate in service projects.
- Better community relations. Companies and organizations of all sizes can reap benefits from volunteering. But the focus shouldn’t be what’s in it for you. Rather, it should be how the people and issues you care about will benefit from your support. As your team volunteers, your employees will come to be on a first-name basis with the people who work at the places where you help. It might lead to additional volunteer opportunities—and even a business opportunity or two—in the future.
- Better perspective. It’s easy to take a regular paycheck for granted. By working with people who are living in poverty or struggling to find work, your team can more fully appreciate the economic challenges facing many families. This, in turn, can encourage your team members to put in that extra effort to do a great job, whether in the office or out in the field volunteering.
Budget time on your quarterly or even monthly organizational calendar for volunteering. It only takes a few hours, but the positive benefits it can create are immeasurable.