Corporate volunteer programs are simply packages designed by companies as a way of giving back to society. Corporate volunteerism is the situation whereby an employee agrees to donate his time to participate in community work as a way of the company’s fulfillment of its corporate responsibility to society. Companies require their employees to participate in these programs as a way of inculcating into them a sense of duty that is beyond just their personal interests. These programs do not just benefit the various institutions that volunteers assist but the very volunteers’ stands to gain in numerous ways.
These programs may either be coordinated by the involved companies or may engage the services of professional volunteer coordination firms. Volunteer services are aimed at assisting institutions that improve the general welfare of society and which are usually understaffed due to lack of adequate resources. These form the bulk of non-profit organizations whose main objective is improving the lives of those who need the assistance of a varied kind (Melissa 40).
Workers participate in these programs for various reasons while companies organize them to meet various objectives. Firstly companies organize volunteer events to boost their public relations and show society that they appreciate the loyalty that they show them by purchasing their merchandise or services. It stands to reason then that the management will take a keen interest in the employees who take part in these events that boost the interests of this company. Therefore they will tend to reward these efforts with promotions and pay rises and it is therefore in the interest of employees to participate in volunteer programs.
Volunteer programs afford a great opportunity for employees to spend quality time together outside the workplace. Employees who may be competing for attention shed down this rivalry and put together their skills and strength to assist in community affairs. They, therefore, dress in informal clothes if the volunteer work entails fieldwork and are therefore able to relax and unwind the tensions of past days of serious and tiresome work (Cooper 164). They are therefore able to strengthen their relations to each other and these foster greater co-operation in the work place leading to greater productivity and therefore leading to wage adjustments upwards.
This is because such activities are morale boosters and usually cause the employees to perform complex tasks and may lead to innovations increasing profits and improving the company’s position in the market. Furthermore, it breaks the monotony of a fixed job routine that usually causes people to hate their jobs and quit.
Non-profit organizations offer volunteering opportunities on their boards and management. These golden opportunities offer volunteers a chance to learn leadership through participation boosting their capabilities and confidence. This further strengthens their credentials allowing them to seek better jobs or hasten their promotions. They are able therefore to make informed decisions when they find themselves in leadership positions since their volunteer positions have already taught them to make critical decisions without fear or favor. Employees, therefore, are attracted to these volunteer opportunities since they act as an important ladder towards achieving their dreams.
Volunteer work provides an individual who would one day want to get into an entrepreneur with an opportunity to have a feel of what it means to be an indifferent business. The individual through different assignments in situations where he may be required to direct a team evaluates his feelings towards those postings and may use this experience in deciding which type of business he is best suited to start and run. The individual, therefore, makes an informed decision based on the level of skill and passion of that particular field. Furthermore, the individual may bond with individuals with similar desires giving them a chance to form a partnership. Volunteer work is, therefore, an important training ground for entrepreneurship, and skills acquired in these projects increase a person’s chance of success in business.
People many times go through society and are usually afflicted by the suffering that is usually around them and is aggrieved by the sense of helplessness that they feel in their inability to help these people (Jayne 128). Volunteer work, therefore, provides an avenue for these employees to try and contribute to the general welfare of society by contributing their skills for free. This, therefore, increases hey wellbeing and by extension makes them more productive since they improve their self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence. They know in their minds that whatever small service they have rendered has contributed to making this world a better place.
Human beings are endowed with various passions that usually go unexploited due to their need to lead comfortable and sustainable lives. Volunteer work affords them the opportunity to indulge in expressing these passions as a way of increasing their general happiness and spiritual fulfillment. These may range from a need to protect the environment from pollution to taking care of needy children. These satisfactions improve their job performance and may lead to better pay or even a promotion.
Work cited
Cooper, C.L. Managing Research and Measurement of Work Related Stress. Global Review of Organizational Psychology, 2007. 22: 141-192.
Cravens, Jayne The Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: How to Apply the Principles of Real-World Volunteer Management to Online Service. Palo Alto, California, Impact Online Inc. 2000. 128p.
Eystad, Melissa, ed Measuring the difference volunteers make: a guide to outcome evaluation for volunteer program managers. St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota department of human services. 1997. 40p.