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Last updated: 23 February 2010
Monday 22 February 2010, 17h15-18h45
I am delighted to be here this evening to talk about something so dear to my heart.
I’d like to start by looking at the broader context. Now, post-banking crisis, as the country begins to move out of the downturn, the relationship between the private and the voluntary sectors has changed.
In the past, collaboration between the sectors was seen as a one-way street- with the voluntary sector cast as grateful beneficiaries of private sector standards of efficiency.
But now private companies are increasingly recognising that their profits depend on re-building the trust of the consumer.
And consumers want to be reassured that the short-term interests of the company are not given greater priority than the service provided.
In fact, 75% of the public now believe that it is either very important or absolutely essential for companies to act in a socially responsible way.
And more and more, firms are recognising the true value of importing the principles and values that are fundamental to the voluntary and community sector.
And this is a strong sector.
We know that, in this country, we can count on a tremendous number of volunteers.
Around three quarters of us volunteer at some point each year, with half of us volunteering at least once a month.
I think that’s an extraordinary reflection of our society and something that’s too often taken as a given rather than celebrated.
And the value of the sector becomes even clearer when we consider that the economic contribution made by volunteers amounts to more than £27 billion.
Scouting provides a perfect example.
Adults working in scouting contribute in excess of 364 million hours of voluntary work each year to allow young people to take part in a huge range of activities in their local communities.
In fact, the total number of volunteers working for Scouting in this country is larger than the workforces of McDonalds and the BBC combined.
But, despite this, there are still thousands of young people on the Scout Movement’s waiting list.
So, if we are serious about getting employee volunteering right, we need to look in particular at the barriers faced by those who are willing and eager to volunteer.
The National Survey of Volunteering and Charitable Giving highlights some of the main factors, and there are several I’d like to pick out for you today:
Firstly, time. As Wayne [Bulpitt] has previously said, more often than not it is a lack of time rather than lack of enthusiasm that is behind the volunteer shortage.
In fact, more than 80% of employees indicated that they would be keen to get involved in a staff volunteering scheme if their employer allowed them the time to do it.
Secondly, choice. The ability to choose the specific activity is one of the most commonly cited factors that would encourage employees to volunteer.
Thirdly, company size. With smaller staff teams, the absence of an employee is often felt more keenly by small and medium sized companies than by larger firms.
As a result, SMEs are currently much less likely to have an employer supported volunteer scheme in place, and are therefore less able to benefit from the business benefits that follow from this reciprocity.
And the final point is access. Disabled people are now around 10% less likely to volunteer than the rest of the population, highlighting the fact that the additional support or equipment that disabled volunteers require is too often lacking.
Let me talk a little about Government action.
In central government, we have taken action to support volunteering and help overcome these barriers, including specific action in response to the recession.
And last summer we launched the National Talent Bank, which aims to match employers and employees with opportunities to serve their communities.
And it is a programme that is focused on those who have found themselves underemployed as a result of the downturn;
Targeting employers who’ve elected to release employees for a fixed period or to reduce the working week, as well as those who’ve deferred the start dates for new recruits or retained staff whose posts have been made redundant.
Already companies such as BT have signed up to the scheme, and more are likely to follow in the months ahead.
At the end of last year we also published “A Guide to giving for Business”, which sets out the incentives for private-sector giving, including advice and recommendations on offering time to employees to take up volunteering opportunities.
Meanwhile, an enormous range of opportunities are on offer at the National Volunteering Database.
Visitors to do-it.org.uk – which is supported by Cabinet Office funding – can currently choose from nearly 1 million opportunities.
And, with our £2 million pilot fund, Access to Volunteering, we are looking to reduce barriers to disabled people volunteering.
But as well as programmes such as these, we are also looking to lead by example as champions of employee volunteering.
The recommendations that were published last year by Baroness Neuberger, as the Prime Minister’s volunteering champion, are now being implemented across government.
All departments now have policies in place to encourage their employees to volunteer, including offering staff at least one day’s paid leave.
In fact, as Minister for the Cabinet Office, I am proud to say that my department offers five days paid leave per year to take up volunteering opportunities – and we are looking to others to follow.
Meanwhile, a number of departments have employee volunteering programmes that, crucially, are linked to staff development and the organisation’s objectives.
Although I would say almost any well structured volunteering opportunity would enhance the employee and thereby the department.
So leading by example is important. But all of us know that in order to be true champions of employee volunteering we need to convince employers that there is a compelling business case.
So the evidence shows that corporate volunteers bring newfound skills, confidence, and enthusiasm back into the workplace, and that, as a result, staff become more motivated, more likely to stay in their jobs, and less likely to take sick leave.
Surveys have shown that volunteers report increases in leadership, communication, and teamwork skills of between 65 and 80%.
So it’s this kind of impact that led IBM to describe their programme as “a powerful way of increasing the skills and enthusiasm of our employees”.
Whereas Centrica found their ‘Cardiff Cares’ scheme boosted the numbers of staff reporting job satisfaction, significantly reduced absenteeism, and improved employee retention to almost 100% amongst participants.
So it is the investment in the personal and professional development of staff that also represents real value for money, significantly reducing training costs.
And the reputational and brand benefits are substantial.
An impressive record on volunteering allows a company to stand out from the rest and helps to generate greater customer loyalty.
Recruitment also benefits from an enhanced public image and good relations with the community.
Polls show that 9 out of 10 prospective employees agree that a company that is active in the community is likely to be a good employer, and that’s especially true amongst new, young graduates.
So, a successful employee volunteering scheme delivers three types of benefits at the same time: benefits for the community; for the individual; and for participating businesses.
Today is a good example of how we – local and central government and volunteering organisations – should be working together to make sure that we get it right.
Everyone knows about the value of volunteering and we must publicise people’s stories- celebrating how it changed them and the impact had on the organisation.
And we must also keep an eye on the barriers that employees face, to ensure that volunteering opportunities are open to all.
I feel so passionately about this. Employers need to promote volunteering opportunities to their staff in an enabling way. I think there is a question about whether volunteering should feature in performance appraisals. Volunteering gives the individual experience in an environment they are not familiar with- and communities benefit from high-level skills that are irreplaceable value in kind. Volunteering is a real trade of human capital. And we must never forget the reciprocity of volunteering.