Volunteer Employee in Poland: Enhancing Employee Involvement and Instigating Social Transformation
Revised Article:
Employee volunteering has significantly transformed the corporate landscape, pushing businesses to not only maximize profits but also address social and environmental responsibilities. One significant aspect of this shift is the escalating role of employee volunteer programs.
According to the 2021 Leaders Pro Bono report, the longevity of these programs is on the rise with almost half (52%) of them surviving for at least five years, and a majority (76%) focusing on initiatives in social welfare, education, upbringing, and ecology. These programs are often run in collaboration with external partners, mainly NGOs (67%).
Employee volunteering offers numerous advantages for both companies and employees. Besides strengthening a corporate image, it allows businesses to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by offering various forms of support like time, skills, resources, or funding to social causes.
Volunteering in Poland:
In Poland, 82% of companies publicly acknowledge the existence of an employee volunteering program. Email newsletters (84%) are the primary means of internal communication about these programs. The activities have been ongoing for various durations, with 42% of companies in their inaugural phase for no more than five years, while 26% have been active for over a decade with an average duration of 8 years.
One in five Polish employees (22%) participates in employee volunteering, with 78% of companies having less than a quarter of their workforce engaged in such activities. The average employee dedicates 11 hours annually to such initiatives. Not engaging in employee volunteering can be attributed to a lack of awareness (43%), preference for other support forms (30%), other board priorities (25%), or employee disinterest (21%).
Challenges and Benefits:
For active volunteers, the main challenge lies in finding the time to volunteer (46%). Other hurdles include encouraging colleagues to join (28%), managing administrative, legal, and organizational issues (27%), and motivating employees to participate (26%). Cooperation with beneficiaries is generally well-received, with 84% rating it very good or good.
Employee volunteering offers numerous benefits, including personal development, increased social and environmental awareness, and skill development. Companies, on the other hand, enjoy a positive corporate image, increased employee commitment, and bridging the gap with local communities.
IBA Poland, a part of IBA Group, partners with a renowned environmental NGO to promote eco-friendly activities. As an example, they organized an oak planting event in May 2023, where employees and their families took part in this initiative intended to combat climate change, improve local ecosystems, and foster environmental awareness among employees and their families.
Such long-term commitments and partnerships between companies and NGOs are essential to achieving positive social change. By collaborating with IBA Poland and other forward-thinking organizations, companies can create a more sustainable and responsible society, contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and demonstrate their commitment to environmental action and employee well-being.
(Enrichment Data Integrated Sparsely)
International best practices suggest that successful long-term employee volunteering partnerships are based on aligning company goals with NGO missions, enabling employees to contribute professional skills, and providing ongoing support and engagement opportunities. These partnerships are seen as mutually beneficial for both companies (through enhanced employee engagement, skill development, and reputation building) and NGOs (through sustained support and expertise).
While Poland isn't a hotspot for published, long-term volunteering statistics compared to other regions, multinational companies with Polish operations are likely to adopt successful models seen in other parts of Europe. Large multinational companies are increasingly embedding long-term volunteering partnerships into their business models, with employees volunteering millions of hours annually. Overall, long-term employee volunteering partnerships between companies and NGOs are on the rise both globally and in Poland, creating a more sustainable and socially responsible future.
- Incorporating environmental science into the employee volunteering initiatives could help address climate-change issues, allowing companies to contribute significantly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- By partnering with environmental NGOs for long-term volunteering programs, companies in the field of education and self-development can foster environmental awareness among their employees and families, promoting a more sustainable and eco-friendly society.
