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\nSummary:<\/b> Volunteer time off is a type of paid time off. In this case, it means that employees will be paid to volunteer for a nonprofit organization. It encourages engagement in the community, bolsters a business\u2019s brand, and shows that giving back to the community isn\u2019t just rhetoric.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
While the idea of VTO is getting a lot of attention, it\u2019s still a relatively small percentage of workers who are able to take advantage of it. That means that offering it can make your business stand out and makes it clear that you\u2019re invested in making a difference in the community.<\/p>\n
Key Takeaways:<\/b><\/p>\n
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Volunteer time off is another type of paid time off. Employees can use VTO to spend time doing unpaid volunteer work and still get paid their usual wage or salary by their employer.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Offering VTO can have the benefits of giving your employees a way to take a break from working, promoting your brand, making a difference in your community, and introducing your team to new experiences.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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It can have drawbacks, as well, such as becoming all but mandatory and putting pressure on employees to make use of it, dropping productivity, and being subject to abuse.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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When writing a VTO policy, it\u2019s important to consider your goal, get buy-in from leadership, and then hammer out who and what is eligible for the program.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What Is Volunteer Time Off?<\/h2>\n
Volunteer time off (VTO), or voluntary time off, is a type of paid time off<\/a> (PTO) that employees can use to do volunteer work. While the idea of offering employees time off to rest and recharge has largely been accepted, the idea of paying employees to go work somewhere else may seem peculiar.<\/p>\n
This perk is most often seen in the tech sector, where the workforce tends to be highly competitive and on the younger side. It encourages employees to try their hand at volunteering \u2013 or to take some extra time volunteering somewhere they already do and make a positive difference in their community.<\/p>\n
Should You Offer Volunteer Time Off?<\/h2>\n
Offering paid time off to volunteer is still a fairly rare benefit<\/a> in most industries. That being said, should it be something that your business offers? Will it attract better candidates? The answer isn\u2019t a simple yes or no, unfortunately, but there are several factors that you can consider before deciding whether to write up a VTO policy for your organization.<\/p>\n
Offering VTO can have the positive effects of:<\/p>\n
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A break from routine.<\/b> It\u2019s important to encourage your employees to take time to relax and recharge. That doesn’t always mean taking a spa day or staying home and watching tv. Being able to do something different for a day can be rejuvenating and up their motivation and engagement<\/a> when they come back to work.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Attracting people interested in giving back.<\/b> While it isn\u2019t a make-or-break perk, companies that offer VTO are more likely to attract potential employees that are interested in volunteering and giving back to their community.<\/p>\n
If that\u2019s a major aspect of your company culture, then it\u2019s not only practicing what you preach; it helps to bring in new employees who\u2019ll mesh well with the current culture.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Promoting your brand.<\/b> Sending your employees out to nonprofit organizations in the community is a way to promote your brand. Employees will be likely to share that they\u2019re being paid by their workplace to be there, which shows that you care about your community and give employees more opportunities to learn and give back.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Enrichment opportunities.<\/b> Any new work experience is going to be educational and enriching. Volunteer<\/a> work is still work, and that means that your employees will learn new things, make new contacts, and gain new perspectives while volunteering.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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A chance to bond outside work.<\/b> While it isn\u2019t guaranteed that your employees will volunteer together, it can be encouraged.<\/p>\n
In that case, your employees will get to spend time together outside the work environment and get to know one another better. Even if that doesn\u2019t happen, the experience will give them another way to learn about each other.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Helping the community.<\/b> Of course, facilitating your employee\u2019s volunteering is going to help your community. Volunteer organizations work hard to make a difference in the community, and any extra help they get is very important. Some businesses will even donate to organizations their employees use for VTO to volunteer at.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
However, VTO can also have the negative effects of:<\/p>\n
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Decreasing productivity.<\/b> While upping engagement will increase overall productivity<\/a>, there will be additional time that your employees aren\u2019t working. And either someone will have to cover their work while they\u2019re gone that day, or they\u2019ll have to work around the fact that they\u2019re not there.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Added pressure.<\/b> While VTO should be entirely voluntary, there can be pressure for employees to make use of it. Generally, the pressure will be social because the other employees are doing it, and they fear they\u2019ll be judged for abstaining.<\/p>\n
Depending on the nature of the organization and the management, employees can also get the impression that taking advantage of the VTO really is mandatory.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Limited choices.<\/b> While most businesses that offer VTO should give employees the wide latitude to choose where to volunteer, that isn\u2019t always the case. If only a few places are eligible for VTO, it can lead to a lack of uptake or enthusiasm toward the program. But that\u2019s just a matter of how the VTO policy is written.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Abuse.<\/b> As with any policy, there\u2019s a chance it can be abused by your staff. Employees can claim to be volunteering but instead are doing something else. Or they can be getting paid for their work and still claim it as unpaid volunteer work.<\/p>\n
Having a clear, written policy will help prevent misunderstandings or other errors. It\u2019ll also deter taking advantage of it, as what is and isn\u2019t allowed will be made clear \u2013 as will the potential consequences of abuse.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Writing a Volunteer Time Off Policy<\/h2>\n
Volunteer time off can work in a few different ways. While the perk is gaining popularity, it\u2019s still largely concentrated in specific areas. That means that there are limited standards on the policy at this point. That being said, there are still standard aspects to consider when writing up a policy for VTO.<\/p>\n
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Decide on your goal.<\/b> The first thing you need to do is decide why you want to offer VTO. Is it a way to encourage your employees to volunteer or to improve your brand? Is it primarily for talent acquisition? Or is it to offset other aspects of what your business does?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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How much time you want to offer.<\/b> Depending on the nature of your goal and how much money you can afford to spend, this amount will be different. Most VTO policies offer employees between 8 and 40 hours of paid volunteer time.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Get leadership on board.<\/b> It\u2019s very important to have buy-in from leadership<\/a> on programs like this. If management doesn’t like the program, then you\u2019ll likely get very little participation, as your employees won\u2019t be encouraged to take advantage of it.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Consider employee eligibility.<\/b> Who is going to be eligible for the benefit? Will it only be employees that are full-time? Or in a particular department? Also, will employees that are being disciplined be able to use VTO or not?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Determine what volunteering positions are eligible.<\/b> In addition to which employees are eligible, you need to decide which charitable organizations you\u2019re willing to pay your employees to volunteer at. There are some brand considerations, such as organizations that are accused of discrimination or ones that are religious in nature.<\/p>\n
Of course, you also don\u2019t want to be seen encouraging employees<\/a> to volunteer for an organization that is accused of corruption, either. Some non-profits end up taking a lot of their donations and using the money for other costs instead of putting back into the community.<\/p>\n
Lastly, do you want to include local not-for-profit organizations, such as sports clubs? While they may provide useful services, they aren\u2019t going to have the same effect as a nonprofit that\u2019s working to end poverty or animal abuse.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Have a standardized way to ask to take VTO.<\/b> As with other types of PTO, there should be a standardized way to request VTO. That will ensure that your employees know what to do to request it and that you get all the information you need to determine whether to approve it.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Generate a way to track time off used.<\/b> In order to prevent abuse and to make sure that your employees are paid properly \u2013 there needs to be a way to track the time they take off to volunteer. In many cases, you can use a similar system to other PTO, but this needs to be determined in advance.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Know who\u2019s in charge of keeping records.<\/b> While it will likely fall on your HR department to keep up with VTO, there should be someone whose job it is to track VTO and make sure that everything is up to date and tracked properly. That\u2019ll ensure accuracy and accountability.<\/p>\n
In addition, if it\u2019s the employee\u2019s responsibility to get their time signed off at the organization they volunteer at, make sure that it is clear to them. There shouldn\u2019t be ambiguity about who is responsible for what.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What Is Volunteer Time Off (VTO) FAQ<\/h2>\n
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Is VTO paid time off?<\/b><\/p>\n
Yes, VTO is a form of paid time off.<\/b> In some cases, employers can offer unpaid time to volunteer, such as in the case of a smaller business<\/a> with less capital. However, the standard VTO is expected to be paid and fall under the umbrella of PTO.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Does offering VTO help attract better employees?<\/b><\/p>\n
VTO is a relatively popular perk at the moment, which means that most employers are of the opinion that it aids in talent acquisition.<\/b> How much of a difference offering VTO will make will depend on the individual employee and, in most cases, is unlikely to be a make-or-break perk.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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How much VTO is standard to offer?<\/b><\/p>\n
Most organizations offer 8 to 40 hours of VTO, making that range standard.<\/b> How much VTO you choose to offer will depend on how much you can afford and how much time you want to encourage your employees to spend volunteering.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
References<\/h2>\n