Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER CANADIAN HR REPORTER April 21, 2014 April 21, 2014 16 FEATURES FEATURES No one ever expects to have cancer. When it strikes, having CAREpath as part of your benefit package shows your employees and their families how much you really care. Employees diagnosed with cancer are assigned a personal oncology nurse providing guidance and support throughout every stage of their cancer journey. CAREpath is the only complete cancer navigation provider in Canada. cancer? Does one of your employees have We'll be there. 1-866-599-2720 www.carepath.ca THE CANCER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Anita McGowan, RN, CON(C), OCN Head Oncology Nurse Manager CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Employer-supported volunteering builds communities, core competencies Range of employer supports to choose from By Paula Speevak Sladowski and Joanna Kaleniecka C anadians are caring, gen- erous and highly engaged in their communities — in 2010, about one-half of them contributed their time, energy and skills to groups and orga- nizations such as charities and non-profi ts. And more than fi ve million people said they received support from their employers to volunteer, according to Statistics Canada. Volunteers have provided leader- ship on boards and committees, canvassed for funds, provided advice, counselling or mentor- ship, visited seniors, prepared and delivered food, served as volun- teer drivers, advocated for social causes, and coached children and youth. The bulk of total volunteer hours (66 per cent) was given to fi ve types of non-profi t and charitable organizations: sports and recreation (19 per cent of total hours), social services (18 per cent), religion (15 per cent), education and research (nine per cent) and health (fi ve per cent), ac- cording to the government. Many benefi ts Increasingly, Canadians are looking for opportunities to get involved through their exist- ing social structures, including workplaces, families, schools and clubs, according to the 2010 report Bridging the Gap by Volun- teer Canada, in partnership with Manulife Financial, Carleton Uni- versity Centre for Voluntary Sec- tor Research & Development and Harris/Decima. And many employers are rec- ognizing the multi-fold benefi ts of employee volunteering, including talent recruitment, retention and skills development. While it is widely regarded as important for workplaces to support employees' volunteer eff orts, it is often challenging to create opportunities that ben- efi t organizations, communities, workplaces and the employees themselves. Making the business case In recent years, several studies have explored and identifi ed the benefi ts of employer-supported volunteering. ese include: •talent recruitment •employee engagement and retention •team-building •social awareness •knowledge of consumers •productivity •reduced absenteeism •brand recognition •stakeholder relations •business development •leadership and skills development. In 2010, the City of London, England, commissioned a study of the benefi ts of employee vol- unteering within the educational sector. It examined the skills employees gained, such as one- to-one reading, helping in home- work clubs, mentoring school administrators and organizing school theme days and special events. en the organization calculat- ed a fair market value for acquir- ing training in the skills employees had gained through volunteering, such as planning, relationship- building, problem-solving and leadership. From there, it was able to dem- onstrate a substantial return on investment, given the costs of managing an employee volunteer- ing program. One tool that has gained trac- tion over the past fi ve years is the Spectrum of Corporate Commu- nity Engagement, piloted through a research project led by Martha Parker, a specialist in corporate community partnerships and for- mer executive director of Volun- teer Canada. is model encourages orga- nizations to explore a breadth of opportunities — ranging from education and awareness, in- volvement and leadership — that appeal to both individuals and groups with a variety of interests, skills and time. Employer-supported volun- teering has many benefits but is not without challenges. Both sides — employers and the non- profi t organizations with which they engage — have identifi ed a range of issues including power imbalances, clarity of expecta- tions, resource requirements and alignment of values. While some great resources have already been developed, more is needed to facilitate mean- ingful and reciprocal corporate- community engagement. Paula Speevak Sladowski is director of programs, policy and applied re- search and Joanna Kaleniecka is co- ordinator of membership and com- munications at Volunteer Canada in Ottawa. is article is an advanced excerpt from a primer on employer- supported volunteering by Volunteer Canada and RBC, based on research conducted for Employment and Social Development Canada. PITCHING IN Types of employer support Flexible work schedule: Extend lunch hour so people can attend meetings or deliver meals on wheels (the time is made up). Paid time off: Implement a policy that allows for half a day per month or one day per year to volunteer. Reduced workload: For example, accommodate a sales associate who volunteers to lead a fundraising campaign by having 20 per cent of his clients temporarily looked after by colleagues, or give a professor a course relief while serving on an accreditation review panel. Use of facilities or equipment: Provide me eting space and photocopying material or host events. Team volunteering: Bring together individuals with similar volunteer interests to volunteer as a group. Day of service: Encourage employees to participate in days of service organized by the community or employer. Volunteer granting program: Make a donation to a charity where an employee (or retiree) has volunteered a certain number of hours during the year. Community service awards: Recognize outstanding employee volunteering. Performance assessment: Recognize employees' volunteering in their annual performance review and have management encourage employees to volunteer for skills development. Communication: Provide a letter of recognition and mention projects on corporate website, in newsletters and at staff meetings. The benefi ts of employer-supported volunteering include employee engagement, team-building and leadership and skills development.

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