Reliance Precision Limited (‘Reliance’) has launched its employer supported volunteering scheme to help employees give back to their community. The scheme was launched in January and since then, 35 employees have spent a day volunteering for local not-for-profit organisations.
Employer supported volunteering is when an organisation supports its employees in taking part in volunteering placements, usually during work hours. It is also sometimes called corporate volunteering. Placements can be practical, like gardening or tree planting, or skills based.
The scheme is designed to facilitate team-based cross-functional volunteering and aims to encourage employees who wish to engage with local registered charities, social enterprises and constituted community groups. Employees have the opportunity to undertake one volunteering placement per calendar year. In Huddersfield, placements are resourced though Third Sector Leaders Kirklees, the accredited volunteer centre for Kirklees that supports and champions the third sector. As part of this, they offer a service that matches businesses with volunteering opportunities. Employees are also able to volunteer outside of the scheme for one day, providing it is for a not-for-profit organisation.
So far, Reliance employees have completed tree planting with River Holme Connections, donation sorting with The Kirkwood, food delivery for Cork Penny Dinners and maintenance tasks like painting and spring cleaning with Dial Wood Carriage Driving for the Disabled.
Jaime Larder, HR Manager, comments:
‘We are delighted to be able to support Reliance employees in volunteering their time for causes they feel passionately about. Employer supported volunteering benefits local not-for-profit organisations and provides employees with the opportunity to gain new skills and do something different to their usual role. The scheme also helps to support Reliance’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aims. The organisations we have volunteered for have been very welcoming and employee feedback has been incredibly positive. We will continue to provide a wide variety of placements, scaling this with demand. Thank you to everyone involved.’
