Volunteering

What we did

Our volunteering policy provides colleagues with the opportunity to apply for two days per year to support their local communities. We have actively promoted the policy as a unique way for teams across the business to incorporate this into their team development activities.

Why we did it

Volunteering provides a great opportunity for colleagues to learn new skills outside of the work environment - from project management to communication, from leadership skills to managing budgets.

Colleagues are able to experience first hand some of the challenges facing charities and community groups and provide a level of resource that can really make a difference to the beneficiary organisations.

How we did it

We developed partnerships with organisations that could provide a range of volunteering opportunities for teams of people from 5 up to 100.

Colleagues were also encouraged to nominate schools or community groups with which they already had a link in order to build on those relationships.

Practical advice was provided on how to deliver a successful volunteering project as well as financial support through the provision of subsidised materials required for the project. Two of our most successful projects include planting over 2,000 trees at a local forestry project and clearing and improving an area of overgrown ground at a local school.