Cultivating a Culture of Volunteerism in Your Business By Donna MacBean
Employees want to be a part of a company that not only is worried about their bottom line but also is concerned about the world around them.
38 Southern Utah Business Magazine :: Fall 2021
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ast year, the Beehive State was ranked as the number one state for volunteerism. 51 percent of its residents volunteered, accumulating a total of 133.9 million hours of service! Volunteerism is woven into the fabric of each of the state’s communities; it’s the Utah way. Over the last decade, there has been a movement in the private sector signaling that employees increasingly expect employers to give back to the community, not just by handing out giant checks but by volunteering in the community and supporting local charities in unique ways. Employees want to be a part of a company that not only is worried about their bottom line but also is concerned about the world around them. In a 2017 report on corporate volunteerism, Deloitte released staggering figures that demonstrate how much employees value workplace volunteerism. The report found that cultivating a culture of volunteerism had the ability to boost morale, workplace atmosphere, and brand perception. 74 percent of working Americans noted that volunteerism provided an improved sense of purpose, 77 percent said that company-sponsored volunteer activities were essential to employee well-being, and 89 percent believed that companies who sponsored volunteer activities offered a better overall working environment than those who did not.
