Community, Employees
December 01 2002
by Briefing staffA quick flick through the pages of Briefing over these last 10 years will reveal a steady stream of volunteering initiatives from governments of various hues. Remember Make a Difference, One20, Millennium Volunteers, TimeBank, the Giving Campaign and others. So it would be easy to be sceptical of this latest challenge. And indeed there are no new 'big ideas' - it's essentially about promoting existing schemes and sharing best practice. Credit where it's due, however: in parallel they've been looking at possible changes to the legal and regulatory framework for charity, which could re-energise the sector (as we report below), and introducing modest but helpful tax reliefs and incentives.
Governments are always keen on employee volunteering. Latest Home Office research shows that only 18% of employees work for employers with EV schemes - plenty of room for growth. When individuals are asked about barriers to them volunteering, one in three cites lack of time and one in five work commitments. If employers can be persuaded to allow more time off, there's a ready-made army of new volunteers, and at no cost to the Treasury.
Governments aside, employee volunteering remains remarkably popular, with growing interest outside its traditional homes in the US and UK. In the developing world, for example, EV is a valuable resource where cash is short and skills are at a premium. Within companies, the focus away from community involvement towards wider CSR and relentless costcutting have not proved a damper. This is largely because the business case is strong - skills development, team building, motivation. Nonetheless, from the employers' view point, EV can be unstrategic - that is, driven by employees' own preferences. If the government is to succeed in upping the resources that companies commit, then EV is going to have to acquire a harder edge with more of a community pay-back. Some of the initiatives reported above, such as small business support and closing the digital divide, set out to achieve something concrete. They point the way forward. Volunteering with a purpose, as the Chancellor might say.
Do you agree? Disagree? Share your views with us by emailing editor@ccbriefing.co.uk