Employee retention
Millions of employees have an interest in the success of the education system and applaud employers who go out of their way to support schools and colleges. Volunteering scheme are good for employee morale, support employee pride in their place of work and can even help improve productivity.
The mark of a good employer
A 2007 Ipsos MORI poll found that 86% of employees consider it fairly or very important that their employer is responsible to society and the environment. Working with education is a key means of demonstrating that commitment.
Volunteering and employee morale
Volunteering schemes are popular among employees, improving employee morale. And higher employee morale can lead to improved employee motivation and job satisfaction leading in turn to increase productivity and better customer service.
Many employers run their education programmes out of HR departments because they know that working with schools and colleges helps build pride and spirit in an organisation. There is a clear link between educational involvement and pride in the organisation.
One major study of the attitudes of thousands of employees in a high street financial services company carried out by academics at the University of Bath found compelling evidence that "employee perceptions of corporate social responsibility have a major impact on organizational commitment". Because of the employer commitment to volunteering in schools, employee retention, health and performance all improved.
Research among employees at Barclays Bank shows that pride in the bank as an employer increased with the number of times they had volunteered. Those who had volunteered four or more times were more likely to agree that they talked to family and friends about Barclays' support for the community than those who had only volunteered once.