Why Volunteering is Important for Your Business
Corporate volunteering – or employer-supported volunteering (ESV) – offers a range of practical benefits for businesses and their employees alike.
An ESV programme can involve projects arranged by the business, support for individual employee volunteering, or a combination of both.
At Blooming Haus, we’ve seen its value firsthand – from sharing our approach to sustainability with partner organisations to supporting the well-being of our team.
Below, we set out the case for corporate volunteering and how to make it work well.
An ESV programme can involve projects arranged by the business, support for individual employee volunteering, or a combination of both.
At Blooming Haus, we’ve seen its value firsthand – from sharing our approach to sustainability with partner organisations to supporting the well-being of our team.
Below, we set out the case for corporate volunteering and how to make it work well.
How Your Business and Employees Get Value from Volunteering
1. Reasons Why Volunteering Matters for Your Business
2. How Volunteering Boosts Your Employees’ Health
3. Tips for Making Employer-Supported Volunteering Meaningful
4. Developing an Employer-Supported Volunteering Programme
5. Volunteering Opportunities that Benefit the Environment
6. Other Journal Entries You May Like
2. How Volunteering Boosts Your Employees’ Health
3. Tips for Making Employer-Supported Volunteering Meaningful
4. Developing an Employer-Supported Volunteering Programme
5. Volunteering Opportunities that Benefit the Environment
6. Other Journal Entries You May Like
1. Reasons Why Volunteering Matters for Your Business
Some reasons to pursue ESV are specific to your business and sector.
For example, we collaborate with sustainability-focused organisations such as Buglife, Ecologi, The National Forest, and the Woodland Trust because they align closely with our commitment to the natural world.
Others apply across businesses of all kinds.
For example, we collaborate with sustainability-focused organisations such as Buglife, Ecologi, The National Forest, and the Woodland Trust because they align closely with our commitment to the natural world.
Others apply across businesses of all kinds.
Stretching and developing employees
Volunteering is a cost-effective way to develop your people.
When employees volunteer, they practise soft skills such as communication and leadership and apply professional skills in a different context.
A well-structured ESV programme can sit within employee learning and development plans, with skills developed through volunteering translating directly into improved performance at work.
When employees volunteer, they practise soft skills such as communication and leadership and apply professional skills in a different context.
A well-structured ESV programme can sit within employee learning and development plans, with skills developed through volunteering translating directly into improved performance at work.
Enhancing your sustainability record
Even for businesses already committed to sustainability, there is always more ground to cover.
A 2022 report by First Insight found that 72% of consumers consider sustainability when making purchasing decisions. You can read more about this report and its implications for businesses.
Strengthening your sustainability record through targeted volunteering can support customer acquisition and help you progress towards goals such as B Corp certification.
How Can My Business Help Fight Climate Change in 2023?
A 2022 report by First Insight found that 72% of consumers consider sustainability when making purchasing decisions. You can read more about this report and its implications for businesses.
Strengthening your sustainability record through targeted volunteering can support customer acquisition and help you progress towards goals such as B Corp certification.
How Can My Business Help Fight Climate Change in 2023?
At Blooming Haus, we practise sustainability across all aspects of our operations – from using green energy to power our studio to composting organic materials and reusing delivery packaging and flower buckets.
We also collaborate with organisations such as Buglife, and recommend exploring the Buglife site and other sustainability-focused resources including Ecologi, Friends of the Earth, and the Woodland Trust.
We also collaborate with organisations such as Buglife, and recommend exploring the Buglife site and other sustainability-focused resources including Ecologi, Friends of the Earth, and the Woodland Trust.
Building corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) holds businesses to account for their impacts on the environment and society. ESV makes that impact positive.
A strong CSR record builds reputation with customers and potential investors. Research also suggests that more than 80% of young professionals consider CSR when making employment decisions – making it an important factor in attracting high-calibre candidates.
A strong CSR record builds reputation with customers and potential investors. Research also suggests that more than 80% of young professionals consider CSR when making employment decisions – making it an important factor in attracting high-calibre candidates.
Helping the third sector achieve more
Third-sector organisations face significant resource constraints. Corporate volunteers allow them to extend their reach without increasing expenditure.
We support the third sector through collaborations such as our work with Buglife, whose B-Lines project aims to create corridors of habitat that make it easier for insects to survive and thrive across the UK. Our involvement begins each September with rewilding activities in London as part of their B-Lines project.
This video gives a sense of why that work matters.
We support the third sector through collaborations such as our work with Buglife, whose B-Lines project aims to create corridors of habitat that make it easier for insects to survive and thrive across the UK. Our involvement begins each September with rewilding activities in London as part of their B-Lines project.
This video gives a sense of why that work matters.
Improving employee health
Volunteering is a proven way to reduce stress and burnout. It boosts mental well-being and can reduce the number of employee sick days – with measurable benefits for business performance.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of working hours lost to sickness or injury increased to 2.6% in 2022, up 0.4% from 2021 and 0.7% on pre-pandemic levels. Any movement in the right direction is good news for businesses and the individuals concerned.
Volunteering gives people a sense of purpose, which is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular problems and better overall health. Allowing employees to volunteer during work hours is a meaningful investment in the people who make your business function.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of working hours lost to sickness or injury increased to 2.6% in 2022, up 0.4% from 2021 and 0.7% on pre-pandemic levels. Any movement in the right direction is good news for businesses and the individuals concerned.
Volunteering gives people a sense of purpose, which is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular problems and better overall health. Allowing employees to volunteer during work hours is a meaningful investment in the people who make your business function.
2. How Volunteering Boosts Your Employees’ Health
The social aspect of volunteering – the meaningful connections it creates – relieves stress and improves overall psychological well-being. Employees who feel purposeful are more productive and more likely to remain healthy.
Volunteering can be particularly valuable for an older workforce. The more physically active forms of volunteering help reduce health risks and alleviate symptoms associated with chronic conditions more common with age.
Volunteering can be particularly valuable for an older workforce. The more physically active forms of volunteering help reduce health risks and alleviate symptoms associated with chronic conditions more common with age.
For further evidence, the National Survey on the Volunteer Experience (2019) found that 77% of respondents reported improved mental health and well-being as a result of their volunteering activities.
3. Tips for Making Employer-Supported Volunteering Meaningful
To get the most from ESV, it needs to be designed well. The following principles help.
Clarify what ESV will mean to your business and employees
ESV has to suit your business and your employees. Consider which activities fit with your business activities, goals, employee abilities, and hours of operation.
Think about all employees and their working patterns and locations – an inclusive approach is more likely to generate buy-in from across your organisation, which is essential for any programme to succeed.
Think about all employees and their working patterns and locations – an inclusive approach is more likely to generate buy-in from across your organisation, which is essential for any programme to succeed.
Align volunteering with corporate values
Volunteering is most effective when it reflects what your business genuinely stands for.
As a sustainability-focused business, our voluntary activities reflect that. They are shaped in part by our co-founder Michal, a Chartered Environmentalist, and our long-standing commitment to the natural world – which is why we work with organisations like the Woodland Trust and The National Forest on tree-planting programmes.
As a sustainability-focused business, our voluntary activities reflect that. They are shaped in part by our co-founder Michal, a Chartered Environmentalist, and our long-standing commitment to the natural world – which is why we work with organisations like the Woodland Trust and The National Forest on tree-planting programmes.
Flowers by Blooming Haus
Consider employees at all times
Employees are central to any ESV programme. Think carefully about their skills, development needs, and what they need to participate effectively.
Communicate the value of volunteering clearly, and work with partner organisations to ensure employees have a good experience and that their health and safety is properly protected.
Communicate the value of volunteering clearly, and work with partner organisations to ensure employees have a good experience and that their health and safety is properly protected.
Understand the needs of the community
Volunteering delivers the most value when what you offer is matched to what local people and organisations actually need.
When implementing your programme, consider your employees’ skills and attributes carefully – the most effective contribution tends to come from placing the right people in the right roles.
When implementing your programme, consider your employees’ skills and attributes carefully – the most effective contribution tends to come from placing the right people in the right roles.
Adopt a holistic approach
Research suggests that a holistic approach to corporate volunteering works best – a mix of one-off team activities and ongoing individual volunteering, rather than a single format.
This is the approach we take at Blooming Haus. We work with the Woodland Trust and The National Forest on tree-planting programmes and support Buglife in their insect protection work. The activities are varied, but they sit consistently under the sustainability focus that drives everything we do.
This is the approach we take at Blooming Haus. We work with the Woodland Trust and The National Forest on tree-planting programmes and support Buglife in their insect protection work. The activities are varied, but they sit consistently under the sustainability focus that drives everything we do.
4. Developing an Employer-Supported Volunteering Programme
When introducing ESV, start with a clear policy so that expectations are understood by everyone involved.
Your policy should cover the following:
– A definition of volunteering
– Which volunteering opportunities the business is willing to support
– Whether the business provides paid time off for volunteering and how much
– How volunteering opportunities will be identified – by the organisation, individuals, or both
– A definition of the volunteer role and how it differs from an employee role
– Expectations regarding employee behaviour while volunteering
– Procedures for raising any concerns about the volunteering experience
– A definition of volunteering
– Which volunteering opportunities the business is willing to support
– Whether the business provides paid time off for volunteering and how much
– How volunteering opportunities will be identified – by the organisation, individuals, or both
– A definition of the volunteer role and how it differs from an employee role
– Expectations regarding employee behaviour while volunteering
– Procedures for raising any concerns about the volunteering experience
5. Volunteering Opportunities that Benefit the Environment
For businesses with an environmental focus, three natural areas for ESV activity are:
– Tree planting
– Planting community gardens and wildflower meadows
– Keeping the environment clean
– Tree planting
– Planting community gardens and wildflower meadows
– Keeping the environment clean
Tree planting opportunities in the UK
Woodland and wildlife face growing threats from pollution, inappropriate development, tree diseases and pests, and climate change. In the case of climate change and pollution, the relationship is self-reinforcing: trees are lost, which in turn worsens the conditions that caused the loss.
Volunteering for tree-planting programmes helps break this cycle and improves air quality. This journal entry covers the subject in more detail:
Do Trees Improve Air Quality in Urban Areas?
At Blooming Haus, we fund trees to be planted in the names of our clients, working with organisations such as The National Forest. If we work with you on florals for your business, we will fund a tree to be planted for each year of our collaboration.
Volunteering for tree-planting programmes helps break this cycle and improves air quality. This journal entry covers the subject in more detail:
Do Trees Improve Air Quality in Urban Areas?
At Blooming Haus, we fund trees to be planted in the names of our clients, working with organisations such as The National Forest. If we work with you on florals for your business, we will fund a tree to be planted for each year of our collaboration.
Flowers by Blooming Haus
Planting Community Gardens and Wildflower Meadows
Wildflowers feed pollinators like bees and butterflies, which carry pollen to plants and enable them to fertilise and produce flowers, fruits, and seeds.
During summer, one acre of wildflowers containing three million flowers produces enough nectar sugar to support around 96,000 honey bees daily.
This is why our work with Buglife matters to us: pollinators are central to the natural world we work with every day.
Community gardens are also valuable to people – providing physical activity and access to fresh food. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advises how to start a community garden project for those interested in taking it on.
During summer, one acre of wildflowers containing three million flowers produces enough nectar sugar to support around 96,000 honey bees daily.
This is why our work with Buglife matters to us: pollinators are central to the natural world we work with every day.
Community gardens are also valuable to people – providing physical activity and access to fresh food. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advises how to start a community garden project for those interested in taking it on.
Cleaning the local environment
The government provides guidance on ensuring your business isn’t polluting the environment. ESV can take this further by actively improving the local environment around your premises.
Keep Britain Tidy works with businesses and local communities to make a collective impact. You can find more information on their website.
Keep Britain Tidy works with businesses and local communities to make a collective impact. You can find more information on their website.
Every item collected protects birds and other wildlife from harm. Litter-picking is a straightforward, high-visibility form of volunteering that benefits both wildlife and the people who live and work in the area.
6. Other Journal Entries You May Like
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