Girlguiding UK urges more businesses to gain from supporting volunteering

Girlguiding UK is calling on the business community to reap the benefits of supporting employees in their volunteering commitments. The call follows research conducted by Girlguiding UK amongst 500 managing directors, financial directors and senior business managers, which found that 94% of employers recognise that employees who volunteer bring a wider range of skills and experience to their jobs.

Girlguiding UK offers each of its 80,000 adult members at least 15 hours of training a year. In total, Girlguiding UK volunteers receive an amazing 150,000 working daysí worth of training a year. This brings huge value to businesses, giving volunteers practical skills such as risk assessment, first aid, and child protection, as well as helping to develop essential business ësoft skillsí such as leadership, time management, team building and diversity awareness. Research amongst employers found that volunteering-friendly policies promote a positive image of business, boost staff morale, and help to develop skills which can be used in the workplace.

Employer supported volunteering (ESV) schemes enable adults to better fit their volunteering commitments around their working life. ESV schemes can include anything from giving employees flexible working hours to matching fundraising attempts, and many have few or no cost implications. All of this support makes a huge difference to volunteers, and the research shows that employers themselves feel that this support helps rather than hinders business. 80% of employers running ESV schemes said that it benefited the company, 87% felt that it promoted a positive image of their business, and 81% felt that it boosted staff morale.

Girlguiding UK Chief Guide Liz Burnley, herself a senior human resources manager in manufacturing, said: ëVolunteering for Girlguiding UK has given people the opportunity to experience lots of challenges and learn amazing new skills, as well as having fun with the girls. Our research tells us that volunteering-friendly policies help people to get their work-life balance right and make for a more contented and motivated staff.

ëWe conducted this research because weíre always seeking to provide as much support as we can for our volunteers. We constantly strive to offer our volunteers new and innovative training opportunities that will enable them to continue to provide fun and relevant activities for the girls and this training, together with the skills our volunteers gain, is of huge relevance to the employers too ñ so everyone benefits.í

Jackie Hermitage, who leads a Rainbows unit for girls aged 5-7 in Cliftonville, Kent, said: ìIt was thanks to Girlguiding UK that I was able to take a new direction with my career. Volunteering with Rainbows helped me realise that I really enjoyed working with children, and another volunteer suggested that I look into teaching as a future career. It was the support and encouragement of my fellow volunteers at Girlguiding UK that led me to take Añlevels and then undertake a four-year honours degree in order to qualify as a teacher. Iíve now been a teacher for nine years and a volunteer for 17 years, and I love doing them both! More than anything else, volunteering with Girlguiding UK has given me the opportunity to keep learning, through the huge range of training schemes on offer. I really believe that ESV schemes pay for themselves as Iíve definitely developed better leadership and organisational skills as a result of my involvement with Girlguiding.î

Key Findings:
Findings from employers with an ESV policy

- 94% of ESV employers recognise that employees who volunteer are able to bring a wider range of skills and experience to their jobs.

- 87% of ESV employers believe that the policy promotes a positive image of their business.

- 80% of ESV employers believe it benefits the company.

- 82% of ESV employers believe it promotes links with the local community.

- 81% of ESV employers believe it promotes staff morale.

Findings from employers without an ESV policy

- Only 32% of businesses have a formal ESV policy in place ñ 30% of small businesses and 41% of medium/large businesses.

- 59% of non-ESV employers feel that an ESV policy would bring no benefits to their business.

- 62% of non- ESV employers believe that none of their employees volunteer.

- 58% of non-ESV firms would consider implementing a policy if enough staff asked for it.