Empowering employees to be engaged in your organization has a simple solution – volunteering.

In a session titled “Employee Volunteering: Understanding the Value,” at the recent Cause Marketing Forum annual conference in Chicago, speaker Chris Jarvis from Realized Worth addressed the importance of employee volunteering to increase engagement.

The results of a major study by the University of Georgia found:

* Employees who volunteered “worked harder and were more willing to help their colleagues;”
* More than 50 percent of employees who claim they are “engaged” say it is because they are proud of the company’s contribution to society;
* More engaged employees not only mean better business results, but foster leadership development and positive employee sentiment; and,
* Employees volunteering create transformative, which has positive psychological, convictional, and behavioral changes.

By framing the volunteer experience with a brief and debrief, it allows employees to focus on their highest level of contribution and reflect critically. When choosing a program, it is important to consider the four factors of a program — capacity of the program, competency of leadership, engagement of the individual, and results of the program.

By providing employees with a volunteer option, companies can rest easy knowing that when they invest in the good of their employees, they are investing in the overall growth of the organization and their community.