More and more businesses are beginning to offer volunteer opportunities to their employees. Doing this not only lets you do some good for others but also strengthen your company culture. Here’s how.
Helps Build Relationships
If you want to build a sense of community within your office, a volunteer project may be the way to go. Nothing brings people together like collaborating on a tough project. Employees could work on their own project but if you can get a group together on one mission, they will become closer through the experience.
Inspires Company Pride
People will be more excited to work at a company they feel does some social good. Allowing employees to choose what projects to focus on can inspire even more enthusiasm because the causes will have personal meaning for the individuals.
Working together on a company project doesn’t only help people build relationships with each other. It will also help them form a more personal feeling relationship with the company they work.
Can Be Marketed as a Perk
When looking for new hires, you can advertise your volunteer programs as a perk of working for your company. It will help your company stand out and your current employees will be excited to tell potential newbies about the opportunity.
Wild Oats, a chain of health food stores from Colorado, pays for one hour of charity time for every 40 hours of company time. They say this program is an important perk of working for them that encourages people to apply for positions at the company.
If you can offer an especially exciting volunteer program, such as one that involves travel, the perk will be especially attractive. There are programs available that help to teach you how to volunteer abroad and can help you organize a trip.
Can Lead to New Ideas
Volunteer experiences can inspire your employees to improve the way they work and help them to come up with innovative ideas.
Volunteering can be a great tool for both personal and professional development. When they apply what they’ve learned through volunteering to their job, they’ll feel more pride and excitement about their work and their company.
Some volunteer programs can also help develop skills directly related to a position within a company. For example, a software architect could teach underprivileged kids how to code. An event planner could organize a benefit concert.
Bonus Benefit: Increased Business
Volunteer work isn’t only useful for building up your corporate culture. It can also bring new business to a company. Customers like to buy from businesses they feel have a sense of social responsibility and whose values align with their own.
Participating in volunteer work may also lead to new product ideas, expose you to underserved markets you otherwise would have missed and introduce you to new customers.
Starting a volunteer program for your company can help bolster your company culture. It’ll also make your business more appealing to both potential employees and customers. Giving back just a little bit of time can lead to big things – for your company, your employees and the people you help.
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