Jessica O'ConnorBusinesses could unlock £32.5bn in annual productivity gains they fully utilised their employee volunteering days, a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) has revealed.
The research, commissioned by national charity Royal Voluntary Service, estimated that each employee in professional or managerial roles could contribute an extra £5,239 in productivity every year through volunteering, with potential gains even higher if broader job roles were factored in and more employees were offered volunteering time.
The study highlighted the significant gap between potential and reality.
While 62% of UK businesses now offer paid volunteering time – a figure that has grown notably in the last year – over 140 million volunteering hours went unused in the past 12 months.
Many companies struggle to connect staff with suitable opportunities, and only 19% of firms with volunteering schemes currently make them accessible to all employees.
In response to this underutilised potential, Royal Voluntary Service has announced a major new initiative: the Volunteering Marketplace.
It will provide a suite of services designed to help businesses build, embed and optimise their volunteering and social impact activities.
At the heart of the charity’s Volunteering Marketplace, is a new digital volunteering platform, currently in development thanks to a £5m investment from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Set to launch later this year, the platform is designed to remove barriers to volunteering for all – offering thousands of flexible, inclusive roles to suit modern working patterns.
Catherine Johnstone CBE, chief executive, Royal Voluntary Service, said: “Employee volunteering programmes are fast becoming one of the smartest investments a business can make. As our research shows, those who do it well are seeing the greatest results – from improved staff wellbeing and motivation to increased productivity.
“If just some of those 140 million lost volunteering hours were used it could be transformational in its effect. With our new Volunteering Marketplace we will help unlock that potential – making volunteering work for more businesses and their employees and enabling them to click and connect to the causes they care about.”
Chris Breen, head of economic insight at Cebr, added: “Business leaders and employees alike may wonder what’s in it for them when it comes to volunteering. Our research shows the answer is quite a lot.
“If every employee in a professional or managerial role offered volunteer days actually used them, it would have resulted in a £32.5bn boost to UK productivity in 2024 alone.”
Clara Govier, managing director at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of Britain and are fundamental to so many of the nation’s charities and good causes.
“Royal Voluntary Service’s new digital platform will simplify the matching of volunteers with opportunities. RVS’ Volunteering Marketplace will make it easier for companies to find the right opportunities for their teams.
“I’d like to thank everyone who plays People’s Postcode Lottery for their support in making this possible.”
