Can we still talk about volunteering in connection with the involvement of employees in a variety of charitable and community projects? This question was asked by Jan Levy, director of the British company Three Hands helping companies to organize "volunteering" activities. In his article on the HR Magazine website, Levy literally states that "volunteering is no longer the right way to engage employees in communities."
The so-called volunteering (in the Czech Republic also reffered to as "organized volunteering") is an increasingly common part of business strategies for employee development and motivation. Mainly large corporations perceive it as more useful than traditional teambuilding activities. According to Levy, here we can no more talk about volunteering but about the "strategic community engagement".
A typical example of the strategic community engagement may be a bank creating a financial education program for the public or a sports channel providing sports activities for local children. Employees who engage in these activities can share their skills with the local community as well as learn new things, including what is happening in the society in connection with their company's business.
It is not uncommon that companies have specific targets for the numbers of employees who will participate in volunteering activities. Entire teams of internal specialists are responsible for managing these activities as well as choosing specific projects. According to Levy, this is already an "obligatory" strategic community engagement and it should not be presented as volunteering to neither employees nor the public. Companies should decide whether to let their people actually voluntarily choose, or whetner engage them in their strategic projects.
When volunteering is not volunteering
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When it is a part of a strategic corporate program in the local community and the company encourages its employees to participate.
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When it is a part of fmeeting a company's goal and employees feel a strong pressure to get involved.
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When it is a part of individual employees' personal development plans.
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When it is a teambuilding activity.
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When it is a part of a corporate training and development program.
-Kk-