by Alison Cundiff
Corporate Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
Reports and analysis support what the common sense of good managers have known for years: an engaged workforce is essential to a company’s well-being and profitability[1].
Here are 5 business benefits to employee volunteering:
- Healthy Employees: In a recent study conducted by VolunteerMatch and UnitedHealthcare, researchers found that companies reported improved physical and emotional health of employees who volunteer. Specific benefits include reduced obesity, reduced stress, increased levels of activity, a more positive emotional state, and higher levels of overall satisfaction with life. If companies want to decrease their health costs, they should be looking to volunteering as an affordable and accessible solution. [2]
- Engaged Employees: Employees operating at high levels of engagements use more of their emotional and cognitive intelligence combined with increased physical dexterity when working on a task. According to a 2008/2009 study by WorkUSA, companies with engaged employees experience 26% higher revenue per employee, 13% total higher returns to shareholders, and a 50% higher market premium. [3]
- More able to attract new talent: The expectations of millennials must be met by companies if they hope to attract, engage, and afford the best and brightest of the next generation of employees. According to the 2011 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, millennials who frequently participate in their company’s employee volunteer activities are more likely to feel very loyal to their company, more likely to be very satisfied with their employer, and more likely to recommend their company to a friend.
- Healthy Community: Smart companies can be good community citizens when they off their employees’ opportunities to volunteer in their community. Companies are essential to creating meaningful change because they have resources that governments and nonprofits do not. Healthier and more active communities attract new businesses and new employees. Vigorous communities create an environment that is clearly more conducive to business growth and bottom line success. [4]
- Increased Corporate Intelligence: During volunteer events employees are able to connect with coworkers they may not have normally had the chance to interact with. This fosters a unique sense of corporate connectivity. This kind of networking engenders an awareness of coworkers beyond an org chart. Employees are better informed, motivated to collaborate, and motivated to help their coworkers do the same. This creates the opportunity for companies to have greater access to their employee’s knowledge which equals greater corporate intelligence.
To find out more about how United Way of Salt Lake can help establish or strengthen your employee volunteer program, visit our website at http://uw.org/volunteer/ or contact Alison Cundiff at alison@uw.org.
[1] The Business Benefits of Volunteering, July 2011.
[2] United Healthcare/VolunteerMatch-Do Good Live Well Study Reviewing the benefits of volunteering March 2010
[3] Driving Business Results Through Continuous Engagement, 2008/2009, WorkUSA Survey Report by Watson Wyatt Worldwide
[4] http://www.civicengagement.org/agingsociety/links/employer_supported.pdf
