How can volunteering boost your employee wellness and retention?

1 Boost morale and motivation

Volunteering can boost your employees' morale and motivation by providing them with a sense of purpose, achievement, and recognition. When they volunteer, they can see the impact of their actions on others, learn new skills, and connect with people who share their values. This can increase their self-esteem, confidence, and satisfaction, as well as their appreciation for their work and employer. To maximize the morale and motivation benefits of volunteering, you can offer your employees flexible time off, recognition awards, or matching donations for their chosen causes.

2 Reduce stress and burnout

Volunteering can also reduce your employees' stress and burnout by helping them cope with their work-related challenges, balance their work and life, and relax and recharge. When they volunteer, they can shift their focus from their own problems to the needs of others, gain a broader perspective, and experience positive emotions. This can lower their blood pressure, cortisol levels, and anxiety, as well as improve their mood, sleep, and immune system. To reduce the stress and burnout risks of volunteering, you can ensure that your employees have adequate support, resources, and feedback for their volunteer roles, and avoid overloading them with additional tasks or expectations.

3 Enhance skills and performance

Volunteering can also enhance your employees' skills and performance by exposing them to new learning opportunities, challenges, and feedback. When they volunteer, they can develop their communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and creativity skills, as well as their cultural awareness, empathy, and adaptability. This can improve their productivity, quality, and innovation, as well as their career development and advancement. To enhance the skills and performance outcomes of volunteering, you can align your employees' volunteer interests and abilities with your organizational goals and values, provide them with training and mentoring, and recognize and reward their achievements.

4 Strengthen loyalty and engagement

Volunteering can also strengthen your employees' loyalty and engagement by creating a sense of belonging, alignment, and commitment. When they volunteer, they can feel more connected to their colleagues, managers, and organization, as well as to the community and society. This can increase their trust, respect, and collaboration, as well as their retention and advocacy. To strengthen the loyalty and engagement benefits of volunteering, you can involve your employees in the design and implementation of your volunteer program, solicit their feedback and suggestions, and celebrate and share their stories and impacts.

5 Implement a successful volunteer program

To implement a successful volunteer program in your organization, you need to follow some best practices and tips. First, you need to assess your employees' interests, needs, and preferences, as well as your organizational resources, capabilities, and objectives. Second, you need to identify and partner with reputable and relevant volunteer organizations, projects, and opportunities that match your employees' and your organization's criteria. Third, you need to communicate and promote your volunteer program to your employees, stakeholders, and customers, and encourage their participation and support. Fourth, you need to manage and monitor your volunteer program to ensure its quality, effectiveness, and sustainability, and measure and report its outcomes and impacts. Fifth, you need to evaluate and improve your volunteer program to identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and address any issues or gaps.