More than one-fifth of employees would like their company to offer some form of volunteering scheme or payroll giving, according to new research.
A survey by professional services firm KPMG and pollsters YouGov highlights a desire among workers to get more involved in socially responsible activities.
The poll, launched to coincide with National Volunteering Week, surveyed more than 2,200 adults of working age in the UK, and found that just 15% of employed people do voluntary work.
Predictably, almost half of those who do not volunteer blame lack of time rather than apathy. Seven per cent believe they lack the suitable skills, while 5% said they did not know how to find out about volunteering opportunities.
Mike Kelly, director of corporate social responsibility at KPMG, said: “The decision to volunteer is of course entirely up to the individual, but from our experience, providing employees with time in their working week for volunteering has wider benefits.
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“We have found that the opportunity to volunteer is attractive to prospective employees, broadens people’s skills, and helps to motivate them. It benefits all parties,” Kelly said.
Of those who were engaged in volunteering, 25% work with children and young people. Working with animals was the second most popular activity.
