What is Employer Supported Volunteering?

Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) is a term used to describe when businesses and organisations support the people that work for them to volunteer in various ways. Where you work, this might be called corporate volunteering, employee volunteering, workplace volunteering or something else! Not only are there different names for it, there are many ways to do it. You might do it as a team building experience or as part of your learning journey, you might get time off work to take part and you might even get paid for some of that time. This could be in the form of a day litter picking, a regular trustee position or a few weeks pro bono support - there are endless ways to volunteer.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of employers offering support for employees to volunteer in Scotland has increased to over half of all employers. It provides many benefits to the employer and to you, the employee, such as mental wellbeing and skill development. For the organisation who hosts these volunteers they gain the opportunity to meet and engage with new volunteers who may continue to support them in different ways. This is particularly valuable when the ESV is based on a longer-term relationship and when there is a skills based volunteering aspect.

Does your work have an employee volunteering policy?

To find out more, check out these websites: Employer-supported volunteering | NCVO and Employer Supported Volunteering | Go Volunteer Glos or email us at info@thirdsectorpk.org.uk.